


Collared

by Julesmonster



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-09-24
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:15:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julesmonster/pseuds/Julesmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where domination and submission is a way of life, Brian and Justin find a way to be different once again. Can Brian cope with the reality of Justin as his sub?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> A/N: The bunny for this story was born out of two stories written by ellenscult in the NCIS fandom: Imprinted and Stepping Out of the Shadows. (You should really read both, even if you aren't NCIS fans.) I adored both of those fics, so when I decided to work on a new QaF fic, I thought I'd incorporate those ideas into a single story centered around Brian and Justin. I'll warn you now, though: this story is far from my normal fare.
> 
> Imprinted is a story that takes the premise of "soul mates" as a scientifically provable fact. What if some people really do connect on a deeper level? What if that connection had a biological root, and predictable patterns of behavior associated with it?
> 
> Stepping Out of the Shadows, on the other hand, is set in a world where BDSM is a natural part of everyone's lives. There are ranks from sub to omega to alpha (which I will explain better in the fic), and homosexuality is accepted as a normal offshoot of this system.
> 
> Obviously, I will have made changes to these premises to fit the story dancing around in my mind, but I wanted to write this both as a tribute to a really creative author and as an exercise in taking my writing outside my comfortably realistic niche. I hope you all enjoy it. Jules

Justin awoke slowly, by small increments, to the sound of beeping and softly whispering voices. There was pain floating somewhere just beyond him, close enough to make him aware of its presence, but far enough away not to touch him. He was sort of glad he couldn't really feel it. It took almost all his strength just to lift his eyelids to see what was going on.

His eyelids fluttered open slowly, and he was surprised by how dim the lights in this room were. He could see soft light filtering through slatted shades and the silhouettes of two people standing beside the window talking quietly.

"Mom?" Justin croaked out in a voice he didn't recognize.

One of the shadows moved towards him. "Justin honey. Thank god."

"W-where am I?" Justin asked. "Wha- what happened?"

"You're in the hospital," Jennifer Taylor said and Justin saw the tears in her eyes fall down cheeks that were already stained by tears. "You were hurt, but you're going to be just fine now. No one will ever hurt you like that again."

"Dad?" Justin asked through lump in his throat. He somehow already knew the answer. His memory was fuzzy, but he knew that it had been Craig Taylor who had done this to him.

Jennifer couldn't look her son in the eye, so she turned her head away. "He won't hurt you again."

Justin nodded once and let the darkness carry him away once more.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"I still don't know how you can be so sure," Daphne was saying one after noon a few days later. She had been to see him at the hospital every day after school. Today's topic of conversation was the same as it had been every day this week. "You haven't even been with anyone, so how could you _really_ know?"

Justin sighed. "When you think about sex, when you fantasize and touch yourself in bed late at night, what do you think about?"

"Justin! I'm not telling you that!" Daphne shouted in outrage. "That's way too personal! Even for you!"

Justin chuckled to see his friend so flustered. "Okay, okay. You don't have to tell me details. But I'm betting that it has something to do with some sort of equal relationship, give and take and all that shit. Maybe, in your dirtiest fantasies you take a controlling part, dominating your partner, but only as a once in a while thing. Am I right?"

Daphne scowled at him for a full minute before she relented. "Okay, fine. You're right."

"Well, when I think about sex, I'm _always_ being dominated. _Always_ ," Justin said. "There is no testing my alpha skills or vying to be a better beta. I want to be collared and controlled and cared for. That's the only thing I want out of life besides my art."

"Alright," Daphne sighed. "I guess I can understand that. Maybe I could be your Dom?"

Justin laughed at that. "Some how I don't see that working. I love you, but you are a beta through and through."

"So?" Daphne pouted. "Some beta's have subs."

"Some," Justin agreed. "But not you. You want to be cared for as much as you want to care for someone else. Like I said, you're going to find your happy ending with another beta. That's just not me."

"Only an alpha for our little sub?" Daphne teased.

"Only the best alpha," Justin agreed wholeheartedly. "Not some wanna-be alpha."

"You'll get him too," Daphne said. "So when are they letting you out of this joint?"

"Tomorrow," Justin said with a genuine smile. "I can't wait to get some real food. You'd think I was dead and came back to life with all the tests and crap they've been running."

"Justin," Daphne scolded with a small frown. "You were unconscious for three days. And you had three broken ribs. Not to mention the fact that you weren't breathing on your own for the first two days because your lung collapsed. You did almost die."

"Yeah, well," Justin sighed, his good mood gone again. "I'm alive now. And bored."

"Tell me what's happening with your dad," Daphne asked as gently as she could. Justin hadn't wanted to talk about it before, and she hadn't felt right asking his mom.

"They've put him under observation," Justin said. "Psychological tests to see if he's gone rogue."

"Rogue?" Daphne asked. She had led a pretty sheltered life and didn't know much beyond her family and school.

"You know, when an alpha or beta gets violent and starts bashing at poor subs for no reason?" Justin said. "If he's rogue, he'll be put into a psych ward for as long as it takes to get him better. A lot of rogues never do. If he's sane and just a bigot against his son being a sub, he'll face criminal charges. Since my mother and the cops were witnesses, it's pretty sure if he goes to trial he'll go to jail for a long time."

"Either way, you'll be safe," Daphne said quietly.

"From him," Justin chuffed. "But not from all the wanna-be alphas out to show how tough they can be. The only safe sub is a collared sub. Makes me wish I was an omega."

"A switch?" Daphne said with confusion. "Why?"

"Because then I could choose!" Justin practically shouted. "Because then I wouldn't be vulnerable to all those assholes! After this everyone's going to know what I am and school's going to be hell with all those hormone driven betas sniffing around."

"Well, just because you're a sub doesn't mean you can't learn to protect yourself until you find your alpha," Daphne said with a huff.

Justin calmed down almost immediately. "You're right. Daph, you are absolutely right. As soon as these quacks let me out of here, I'm signing up for self defense lessons. I may be a sub, but that doesn't mean I have to just roll over and take whatever shit some asshole wants to dish out."

"Good," Daphne said. "I'll go with you. We'll learn together how to defend ourselves."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

They had more than a month after Justin was released from the hospital before school started back in September and they used that time wisely. Every day, the two friends went to self defense classes or practiced what they were learning on each other. By the time the first day of their senior year rolled around, Justin felt a little more confident in his ability to protect himself from his peers. It wasn't that he was the only sub in school, though he might be the prettiest. Hell, if statistics held true, there were probably thirty or more out of the three hundred students who attended St. James Academy. But just because they were there didn't mean they were out yet.

Despite Craig's response to Justin telling his father he was a sub, being a sub wasn't a bad thing. Subs were normally cherished and there were laws in place to protect them from being harmed. However, being a sub in a school full of mostly alpha and beta students going through hormonal changes was not easy. It was for this reason most subs waited to declare themselves until after high school.

The comments started almost as soon as Justin walked through the front doors that first day. The wolves had smelled fresh meat and were hungry. They weren't threatening, per se, but they were explicit. Male and female, the alphas would come up behind him and whisper what they could do to him, for him. Justin wasn't interested and tried to ignore them. But that proved impossible when two or more alphas—and even a few of the more aggressive betas—would begin to fight for his attention. By the time school was finished, there had been four brawls both in the halls and in classes, and fifteen students had been caned for their inappropriate actions.

"I really hope that the punishments will start to discourage them," Mr. Brody, the school's vice principal, said. Jennifer had been called to go over the events of the day and the three of them were in his office. "Otherwise, I'm afraid we're going to have to find some way to get you through your senior year away from your peers."

"I don't want to leave school," Justin said.

"I'm sure it won't come to that," Jennifer said uncertainly. She turned to Brody. "Will it?"

"It may," he sighed. "Justin isn't the first sub to be exposed while still in school. In all the instances I have found during my research, it was very difficult to bring the other students under control. Their hormones simply override their good sense. We will do what we can to protect Justin. Starting tomorrow, Justin, you'll be taking all of your courses independently. Your instructors have agreed to give you private tutoring."

"But…!"

"But he should be safest in classes," Jennifer objected. "The damned teacher should be able to protect him!"

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case today," Brody sighed. "Most of the teachers are betas and when an alpha, even a teen alpha, gets a bee in his bonnet, a beta will usually back down. Two of the altercations actually started in class. I'm sorry. This is the only alternative I have other than to suggest home schooling. Justin isn't our only concern. Several students, innocent bystanders, were hurt during the incidents today. We have to consider the welfare of all our students."

Jennifer looked at Justin who was beside himself with anger. He didn't want to be singled out. It wasn't fair.

"We'll try the individual classes for the time being," Jennifer sighed.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Two weeks later, Justin sat on the front stoop of the small townhouse his mother had bought after selling off their old house. He was watching the sun set while he waited for Daphne to pick him up. His father was now in prison; he received a fifty year sentence for the attempted murder of a sub—double what he would have gotten for the same crime against an alpha or another beta—and wouldn't be eligible for parole until Justin was in his sixties. The house had been sold along with Craig's business, both of which had been legally turned over to Jennifer upon his incarceration. She had since filed for divorce and was working as a real estate agent to stay busy.

Things at school hadn't gotten any better. In fact, they had gotten worse. Since he was kept out of sight for most of the day, when he was spotted by any of the other students it became a huge brawl to get his attention. He had been accosted and dragged into more bathrooms and broom closets than he could count. Though he had always been able to get away so far, he didn't think his luck could hold out forever. He'd seen some of the football players eyeing him lately and knew if one of them got their hands on him, he'd be in trouble.

Taking all of that into consideration, Justin had finally given in and told Mr. Brady he'd stay home. The school would send tutors to his home to help him complete his work. Justin wasn't happy with the arrangement, but he was going to live with it. It was only a year and then he could go to college. College was when most subs came out, because by then, most teens had better control over their hormones. And those who didn't were kept in line by those who did.

Daphne pulled up to the curb in her mom's car and waved. Justin smiled and waved back. He grabbed his overnight bag and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Daphne asked even as she turned the car towards downtown. "This could be really dangerous."

"Hey I'm the best student in our self defense classes," Justin said defensively. "Besides, I just know that I'm gonna find my alpha. Maybe not tonight, but soon. And I know that Liberty Ave is where I need to be to do that."

"Well, maybe I should stay with you," Daphne offered for the tenth time. "I mean, just to protect you. I'm a beta."

"You are a petite little beta whose bite is even less effective than her bark," Justin teased. "I'll be fine. I'm sure that it isn't as bad as you seem to think. It's just where people go to party and find a mate."

Daphne eyed Justin skeptically before turning the car towards their exit. "Stay away from the drugs. You know you have no tolerance for anything. Even aspirin gets you giddy. And don't go anywhere alone with anyone. Promise me."

"I promise," Justin sighed and rolled his eyes. "No drugs and I won't go with anyone unless I trust them."

"Justin…" Daphne said in her warning tone.

"Seriously, Daph," Justin argued. "I won't go with just anyone. But part of the reason I'm down here is to find my alpha. If I do, I'm not going to just let him walk away because I made a promise to you."

Daphne sighed. "Alright fine. But only if you are absolutely positive that the guy can be trusted and you are sure he's the one. No on else."

"That I can promise," Justin said. They rolled up to the curb along the main strip of Liberty Ave and Justin unbuckled his belt. "If I haven't found him by midnight, I'll get a cab back to your house. If I find him, I'll text you."

Justin climbed out of the car and watched Daphne drive away. Somehow, he got the feeling that this night was going to change the rest of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Justin looked out over Liberty Ave from under a streetlight. There were so many people and they were so open about who and what they were. It was funny, even though everyone knew and accepted that there were alphas, betas, omegas and subs, in suburbia no one really talked about it much. They certainly didn't put their subs in assless chaps and parade them down the street in leather collars. No, in his neighborhood, subs received delicate gold collars decorated with pretty gems and were rarely seen on a leash. Here, people just were who they were, no pretense or false airs. This was where he would find who he was looking for. Here it became obvious that most alphas and subs were male, though he did see a few females in collars or on leashes. He only saw one female alpha with a female sub.

Justin was approached by a couple of really rough looking alphas and a few betas trying to be bigger than they really were. He pretended to be a beta and got them to leave him alone, but he knew he wouldn't be safe just hanging out on the street all night. He thought about trying to get into one of the clubs, but was pretty nervous about that. Subs weren't safe in those places without a Dom. From what he'd heard, it was a lot like school: too many alphas, too much alcohol and too many hormones often resulted in some pretty serious fights over subs. He'd read many newspaper accounts of fights started in just that way.

Just when he was about ready to give his crazy plan up and call Daphne to come back and pick him up, he heard the voice and saw the face of his alpha. He was sure this was the man he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He knew he was destined to be collared by this man. Justin had never believed in love at first sight or destiny before, but tonight he did. A jolt of pure electricity shot through him as he looked into those hazel eyes and watched the predatory way the alpha walked over to him.

The pick up line was cheesy, but Justin didn't care. He would go anywhere with this man. Before he knew what was happening, he was in Brian's jeep, leaving Brian's friends behind and heading for his loft. Justin thought he was ready for whatever came his way. Once inside the loft, Brian stripped his shirt off and dropped it to the floor before getting two bottles of water and handing one to Justin. Justin fiddled nervously with the cap while he watched Brian.

"What do you like?" Brian asked.

"Um, I like to draw and paint," Justin said timidly. He took a gulp of the water before putting the cap back on the bottle. "I'm pretty good at it too."

Brian chuckled. "That's not what I meant." He stalked close to Justin and roughly pulled the younger man's body against his own. "What do you _like_?" His breath was hot in Justin's ear, making him shiver and causing his mind to go completely blank.

"Um, everything?" Justin said uncertainly.

Brian chuckled again. "So if I wanted to tie you to the headboard and carve my name into your skin a hundred times that would be okay with you?"

Justin tried to pull away in horror. "You… You can't…"

Brian tightened his hold on Justin and said, "I could, but I won't. Tonight, you belong to me. You're lucky I like your flawless skin. Though I suppose your ass would look even prettier pink from a nice spanking." Brian loosened his hold on Justin slightly and looked over his temporary sub. "Strip."

Justin blinked up at him in confusion. They hadn't even kissed yet.

"You heard me," Brian ordered. "Strip or go home."

Justin hesitated for only a second before doing as he had been told. He shed his jacket first, then his t-shirt. He looked back up at Brian and saw the older man eyeing him with lust. He bent to remove his shoes and socks. When they were tossed into the growing pile, he straightened. His hand hesitated at his belt. Was he sure about this? He could still call a cab and go home. Then Brian met his eyes and there was that shock of electricity again. No this was right. This was where he was supposed to be, even if Brian didn't realize it yet. He would. Justin dropped his jeans and shimmied out of his briefs before kicking them to the pile of clothes at his feet.

Brian ogled Justin's body without shame. He walked around him and ran a hand down Justin's back and flank, like he was inspecting a horse for sale. There was nothing personal in the touch, though it excited Justin nonetheless.

"Go into the bedroom and get on the bed. Lay face down and spread eagle," Brian ordered before walking back towards the kitchen, totaling ignoring Justin. Justin knew how to follow a direct command and so he obeyed, but his knees were weak and he was trembling. This wasn't exactly how he had pictured this night going. He knew that Brian was the one. He knew this. But he had somehow believed that Brian would know as well. He had believed that Brian would be gentle and understanding. He had thought that this would be a night he would remember for the rest of his life.

Well, he was sure he would always remember this night, but not necessarily because of positive things.

The bed was comfortable, and the sheets soft. Justin lay face down on it and spread his arms and legs wide as he he'd been instructed to do. He lay there for what felt like hours, muscles tense with the stress of the unknown. Slowly, he began to relax. Brian was his alpha and he would do with him as he pleased. Whatever that was, Justin knew that he would not seriously hurt him. Well, he didn't _**know**_ , but he was pretty sure. And even if Brian chose to hurt him, it was out of Justin's hands now. He had chosen to give Brian dominance over him and now he would find out just what that dominance entailed: good or bad. Stewing and fretting wasn't going to change anything.

Once he had come to that conclusion, Justin settled down and slowly felt his mind drifting away into a peaceful fog. There were no concrete ideas or thoughts, only the feel of his body, his skin caressed by the soft cotton sheets, and the sounds of Brian puttering around the loft. It was restful, though it didn't make Justin sleepy. In some ways, he was more aware of himself and his surroundings than he had ever been. But at the same time, there was a distance between his mind and the world around him. It was as though he was seeing the world through a safe window of protection.

When Brian walked up the three steps to the bedroom area almost two hours after sending Justin there, Justin was loose and pliant. Brian smirked. He sat down on the bed beside Justin and ran a hand over the bare flesh on his back, his ass, and down his thigh. Justin didn't start at the touch, as he might have when he had first entered the loft. Instead, he sighed and allowed his body to arch into the contact, seeking more touches from his alpha.

One hand slid over Justin's ribs, and lower still to his hips. His other hand caressed the lines of Justin's arm, bringing forth a shiver of awareness. Justin was so responsive, it was all Brian could do not to simply take him and claim him completely at that moment. But no, Justin was inexperienced, a virgin. He had to make this good for his young sub, even if he would only have him for this one night.

Using his lips and tongue, Brian mapped out every angle and plane of Justin's back.

"Please, sir," Justin whimpered. "Please!"

Brian knew that the young sub could not take much teasing. He had been waiting too long already. As much as he would love to make the experience last all night, he knew that Justin needed more and Brian wanted to find his own satisfaction in the perfect body before him.

Brian reached out to his bedside table and grabbed the small tube of lubricant he kept there. Slicking up his fingers, he used his other hand to guide Justin's legs up under his chest while he pulled the boy's straining erection down so that it peeked from between his thighs. His arms were still spread wide and his face turned to the side so that he could breathe with the pillow beneath his head. "Stay like this."

He watched as Justin nodded once and relaxed back into his position. He was a picture of debauchery; his puckered hole exposed and pink was flawless and his cock was the perfect shade of red. Brian took a moment just to taste the flesh of his cock head, his scrotum, and finally the puckered hole. Justin squirmed and cried out in his need, but Brian had needs of his own, and tasting his new sub was one of them. Teasing around the entrance for several minutes, Brian took delight in every erotic moan from Justin's lips, every twitch of his untended cock.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck!" Justin cried out as Brian finally pushed through the ring of muscles protecting this most secret opening. Brian let a moan escape at the sound of those filthy words pouring from the young sub's mouth, and the vibrations sent shock waves through Justin's entire body.

"Come," Brian ordered. Without a single touch to his needy cock, Justin came on a wave of pleasure, his channel spasming around Brian' greedy tongue and his seed spilling on the sheets between his legs. Brian grinned and scooped up the pool of semen and spread it, along with the lubricant, over and into Justin's now twitching hole.

"So hot and responsive," Brian said as he finally entered Justin with two questing fingers. Justin was still trembling from his release and did not react right away, but when Brian' nudged against his prostate, Justin's cock flooded once again with blood and the boy himself mewled in pleasure. Adding a third finger, Brian began to whisper in Justin's ear. "I'm going to fuck you Justin. I'm going to spread you open with my cock and mark you as mine. Do you want that, my brave little sub?"

"Oh yes, sir!"

Brian removed his fingers and Justin sobbed with his need to be filled and claimed. Brian wasted no time in doing just that, sliding just the head of his cock past the tight ring of muscles. He paused there for just a moment to catch his own breath, lest he come too soon, and to give Justin time to adjust. Then slowly he began to rock in and out of Justin, each thrust burying him deeper inside of his very own sub.

Once he was fully seated, Brian paused again and bent to Justin's ear. "I'm going to make you come on just my cock. Would you like that?"

"Oh god!" Justin cried. "Please, sir, fuck me!"

Brian gave him a wicked leer and began to thrust slowly and methodically. Justin panted with his need, and Brian realized that he too was breathless.

"Harder! Oh please sir, harder!"

Brian gave a depraved grin and began to thrust harder and faster. Each sharp thrust of his hips caused Justin to gasp and grunt. Brian shifted slightly and Justin practically leapt off the bed each time his prostate was stroked. Brian continued this almost brutal pace, until he could feel Justin begin to tense up beneath him.

"Come for me, Justin," Brian murmured hoarsely. That was all it took to send Justin over the edge. Once again, he was coming hard and copiously, his face visible as he twisted to look back at his alpha over his shoulder. Brian watched the expression of sheer joy on his lover's face and thrust hard as his own orgasm overwhelmed him.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Brian dropped Justin off at school the next morning before he went to work, never expecting to see Justin again. Of course Justin was more persistent than most of Brian's tricks and followed his new alpha to Woody's that night. And then he showed up at the loft just as Brian was about to entertain an omega he had met online. Brian was livid. He had made his thoughts on the subject clear, or so he had thought. Well, as he turned Justin away this time, he left no room for doubt in the little sub's head. He was not taking the sub under his wing. There would be no collar and no more nights of sex, no matter how great they were.

Rejected, Justin left.

Brian tried not to dwell on the pain and anguish that he had seen on Justin's face. He tried not to think about that night, or the way Justin's body had felt so right under him. He refused to even acknowledge that anything had happened at all. But the night, and Justin, had left a lasting impression that simply would not be ignored.


	3. Chapter 3

"Seriously, Doc," Brian said, frustration dripping from his voice. "There has to be some explanation."

The doctor looked up from Brian's file and sighed. "The tests I've done so far have come up with nothing. Is there anything you haven't told me? Anything that might help me narrow the search? Anything at all? Otherwise I'm going to have to simply say that it's psychological. I can give you a referral to a—"

"Stop right there," Brian huffed. "No need to get a shrink involved. There may be… well, there is one thing that does it."

"Well?" the doctor asked impatiently. Honestly, getting information out of this man was like trying to draw blood from a turnip. You would never know that Brian had come to him for help.

Brian sucked his lips between his teeth and looked away for a minute or two before taking a deep breath. "I can only get an erection if I'm near a specific person."

"And can you achieve orgasm while thinking about this person?" The doctor asked.

"Yes," Brian sighed. "But not while I'm with another person, even if I'm thinking about him. There's something weird about that, isn't there? I mean, you've been my doctor for years. You know my sexual history. I've never had a problem like this before. It's like my body is betraying me. You have to fix this!"

"Hmmm," the doctor said distantly as he rechecked the test results. "There may be… But that seems highly unlikely. The pattern fits, but…"

"Doc!" Brian shouted to get the man's attention. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"There may be a condition that I hadn't thought to test for," the doctor replied. "It is quite uncommon, and usually shows up in those persons who are drawn to law enforcement or military careers, usually two betas or an alpha and a beta. This condition seems to be linked to persons with a need to defend and protect those weaker than themselves."

Brian shrugged. "I look out for my friends and I don't mistreat subs."

"Perhaps that is enough for your part," the doctor nodded. "But it doesn't explain the sub. I'll have the nurse draw some more blood and I'll have the lab do the proper tests. I'll call you tomorrow with the results."

"Doc, what is this condition?" Brian asked.

"Oh, well, I'd rather wait and see how the tests come out before discussing it," the doctor said. "Suffice it to say, it is not life threatening."

Brian held back a growl. He'd been hoping to get answers today, but it looked like it would be at least another day before he knew anything. Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he did need a shrink.

"Fine. You have my number."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"Are you sure you don't want to go out?" Mikey asked Brian for the sixth time. Brian was, frankly, sick of the question. Yes he wanted to go out. Yes he wanted to find some hot stranger and bury his troubles in some nameless sub's ass. But the last twelve times he'd tried he'd ended up having to blow the guy because he couldn't get it up, even when he'd tried thinking about that blond twink he couldn't get out of his mind. That was not how he wanted to spend the night.

"I'm positive," Brian finally said. "What's wrong with spending an evening in for a change?"

"Nothing," Mikey shrugged. "It's just not like you. You haven't really been yourself for weeks. Not since…"

"Don't say it." Brian warned with a growl. "We aren't mentioning him ever again. I told him how it was going to be and he left. He's gone and not coming back again."

Mikey shrugged again and picked up a piece of pizza. "So you want to get high and watch NCIS? That Michael Weatherly is really hot."

"Sure. Whatever."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Brian kept his cell phone with him at all times the next day. He was on tenterhooks waiting for his doctor to call. He was distracted in the staff meeting in the morning. He was distracted through the meeting with the art department in the afternoon. And when five o'clock finally rolled around, for once he went home on time and didn't even bring any work home with him.

He stared at his phone once he was back at the loft. Why hadn't the doctor called? Was there really something wrong with him? Was it some incurable disease? Would he never be able to have sex again? Fuck! What the hell would he do with himself if he couldn't go out tricking every night? Watching TV with Mikey once in a while was one thing, but he couldn't imagine doing that every night for the rest of his life. If he couldn't fuck, they might as well just euthanize him and get it over with, because life certainly wouldn't be worth living any more.

He was staring so intently at the phone that when it did ring, it took him a moment to realize what was happening. "Hello?"

"Brian? This is Doctor Miller. I got your test results back."

"And?" Brian asked testily.

"And it came up positive for the condition," the doctor said. "I would like to have you come in at your earliest convenience to discuss it."

"How about now?" Brian said. "I really don't want to wait anymore to find out what the fuck is wrong with me. This is killing me, Doc."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone line before the doctor sighed. "Alright. I had to stay for a late appointment anyway. Can you be here in half an hour?"

"I'll be there."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"A few years ago, two doctors did a study on what we now know as Imprinting," the doctor told Brian who was pacing restlessly in the doctor's consultation office. "This syndrome is not a disease. In fact, you are perfectly healthy."

"Then why can't I get it up?" Brian growled.

"I'm getting to that," the doctor said with more patience than he felt. "Doctors Potts and Childs studied couples who have an unusually close relationship. It could almost be classified as an obsession with each other. These couples had several things in common. One, their neurotransmitters showed evidence of an unusual pattern when not in contact with their partner. Two, there was an elevated level of a certain chemical in their blood. Three, none of them were able to be aroused by anyone but their partner. They called it Imprinting."

"So?" Brian asked. "What do these _Imprinted_ couples have to do with me? I don't have a partner and don't want one either."

"And yet your blood work indicates a high level of this chemical," the doctor said. "There has been no other explanation or incidences of that happening other than with these Imprinted couples. And you yourself admitted that there was one person who could still arouse you, even if only by thinking of him. Imprinted pairs along with a control group were tested using sexual stimulus. The control group was aroused by pretty much everything. Even straight betas were aroused by erotic gay images, and vice versa. But the imprinted people were only aroused by pictures of their partner, even those that were not erotic in nature."

Brian didn't like where he thought this was going. "So these couples, how did they end up Imprinted?"

"There are actually quite a few horror stories involved in how these couples came to be," the doctor said. "When an Imprinted pair meets, no matter the circumstances, they feel a need to be together. If one is already married or in a relationship, their spouse or partner is inevitably left behind. There are those who try to fight the pull, but invariably they must give in or risk madness. It is not impossible to ignore your body's need for physical gratification, but the mind suffers when denied what it needs. Like many mental illnesses, the root cause can be traced back to physical imbalances. In this case, the physical imbalance is a result of not being in contact with their partner."

"So, what you're telling me is that not only do I have some partner that I don't want," Brian scowled, "but if I try to deny the relationship, I'll go mad?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "There have even been instances of violent behavior if a pair is separated for any length of time."

"So why am I not crazy?" Brian said. "It's been weeks since… since I slept with that one person."

"You obviously have a higher degree of self-control," the doctor said. "But that does not negate the fact that over time, this will get worse, and you _**will**_ eventually lose control of your emotions if you don't take action. Have you seen your partner since that night?"

"Once," Brian said. "He followed me out to a bar and then to my loft. I sent him away and told him not to come back."

"Oh dear," the doctor said with a worried frown. "Brian. I do not wish to alarm you, but your partner may not be faring as well as you are, especially given the fact that he is a sub. Most Imprinted pairs are betas, but there have been a few cases with an alpha and sub. In those instances, the sub tends to feel the separation more keenly than either an alpha or beta would. He may be in real danger if he thinks you have rejected him. Violence towards oneself or others is a frequent result in the case of outright rejection of an Imprinted sub."

"And without him, I'm a monk for the rest of my life," Brian sighed. "I get it."

"I've printed out some information for you on Imprinting," Doctor Miller said. "I would suggest you read it through thoroughly and quickly. Then I would suggest you seek out your partner before it is too late."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Brian went home and read through the information over a couple glasses of Jim Beam. Then he called Cynthia and told her wouldn't be in the office for the rest of the week and asked her to reschedule any meetings he might have. He followed up that call with more bourbon while he reread all the information. When he passed out around midnight, the Jim Beam bottle was empty.


	4. Chapter 4

"Justin," Jennifer Taylor called through the bedroom door with anger and frustration. "You are not missing another day of tutoring. There is nothing wrong with you. Get out of that bed and get dressed right now, young man!"

Justin, who was huddled under his covers didn't even bother to respond. He was awake. He was always awake. He didn't think he had slept for longer than an hour or two since… Well, he wasn't going to think about _that_ night. He'd think about the night he and Brian had made love instead. That was a blissful night. Everything since seemed like a nightmare in comparison.

It had been eighteen days since he'd seen Brian. Eighteen of the longest days of his life. At first, he had been hurt and angry and he'd driven Daphne's car to his best friend's house to cry out his heartache. But instead of feeling better as time went on, he felt worse. He'd gone through the motions for a while: school, art, hanging out with Daphne. But as time passed, he stopped even trying to pretend that everything was okay. He hadn't been out of this room except to go to the bathroom for six days.

"Fine. I'm going to take you to the doctor today," Jennifer said. "I'm taking you to a psychiatrist this time. The other doctors couldn't find anything wrong. Well, if it isn't something physical, then it must be something else."

She left and Justin moaned in frustration. He hated making his mother worry about him, but the truth was he was worried about himself. There must be something wrong with him. What was it? Why couldn't Brian love him the way he loved Brian? He'd felt…everything the one night they'd been together. He felt alive like he never had before. He felt like there could never be anything better than the two of them together.

And it wasn't just the sex. That was amazing; no question about it, but there was more to it than that. There had been something deeper. The way Brian looked at him as he had come. The way Brian had seemed to know just what he wanted and needed in and out of bed. Why couldn't Brian see that they were meant to be together?

Time seemed to pass in a haze as Justin's thoughts kept circling through the same thoughts over and over again, and it wasn't long before Jennifer had cajoled him into clean clothes and then into the car. He didn't really remember taking a shower or getting dressed. He didn't really remember the drive to the doctor's office or waiting in the reception area. He didn't register anything that was going on around him; he was so lost in his own thoughts and feelings.

"The fact that you were able to get him here at all seems to be a good sign," the doctor was saying. "Perhaps you could give us a few minutes alone, and I will attempt to speak with Justin."

Justin was vaguely aware of his mother leaving the room, but paid her no mind. When the doctor spoke again, it took him some time to process what he was saying through the jumbled thoughts still flying around his head.

"Justin, can you tell me what you are thinking about?"

Justin wasn't sure if he was speaking out loud or not, but he tried to tell the man what he was thinking about and he realized that the other man seemed to be listening, so maybe he was speaking. He tried to listen to his own voice and realized that he was rambling on and on about Brian. "He doesn't want me," he heard himself say and he was suddenly very aware of what he had just said to this complete stranger.

"Oh shit!" Justin moaned. "I didn't just say that. No. You can't… My mom doesn't know I went out!"

"Calm down," the doctor told him. "Take deep breaths. You are fine, Justin."

Justin tried to take deep breaths and slowly felt himself calming again. He also felt himself slipping back into the numb fog that was so familiar by now. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk anymore. The doctor kept talking to him, but Justin wasn't really aware of anything he said. When his mother returned, he didn't notice. He was peripherally aware of a nurse taking blood from his arm, but not enough to even flinch at the pinch of the needle.

When he became aware again, he was back in his room, buried under his blankets once more.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Brian waited outside the school feeling very self-conscious. He felt like a pervert, but he had no other way to make contact with Justin. He didn't have his phone number and he didn't know where the boy lived. All he knew was this school where Brian had dropped him off almost three weeks ago.

The last bell of the day rang and Brian watched the hordes of teenagers in tacky uniforms scramble out of the building like locusts devouring a crop. His eyes kept looking for that familiar blond head, but even as the crowds started to dwindle twenty minutes later, he hadn't found Justin. He had almost given up hope when he spotted the girl Justin had met outside the school that morning.

"Hey!" Brian yelled, jogging over to her in the least threatening way he could manage. "Hey! Are you Justin's friend?"

Daphne looked up at Brian with suspicion. "Maybe."

"Look, I know you don't know me and have absolutely no reason to trust me but I need to find Justin," Brian said.

Daphne narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Brian Kinney," Brian said and tried to give her a charming smile, but he was too upset and hung-over to really pull it off. "I…"

Daphne turned to walk away, but called over her shoulder. "I know who you are. Justin doesn't need to see you."

"Wait!" Brian said and jogged to catch up with her. "Please. This is important. Justin could be… well, there might be something wrong with him. Has he been acting different lately? Withdrawn?"

Daphne stopped and opened her mouth to say something. She seemed to think better of it and closed her mouth again. It was a few minutes before she actually spoke. "What do you know about what's wrong with him?"

Brian closed his eyes. She had just confirmed his doctor's fears. Now Brian was even more worried, but he couldn't tell this little slip of a beta what the doctor had told him; nevertheless he needed her to find Justin. "I can't talk about it. Really. Not with anyone but Justin. But believe me when I say that there is an explanation. And I can make this go away if I can just talk to him. Please."

Daphne seemed to spend an eternity judging Brian's sincerity. "You hurt him before. Don't do it again."

"I won't. I swear." Brian said.

Daphne nodded. "Where's your car? I'll take you to his house."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"My name is Brian Kinney," the man at the door, who looked to be in his late twenties, said. "I need to see Justin."

Jennifer saw Daphne standing behind Brian and gave her a look. Daphne shrugged her shoulders in response.

"My son is not well," Jennifer said. "What is this about?"

"I know he isn't well," Brian said with a dark look in his eyes, one Jennifer couldn't really interpret, but she had a gut feeling she wasn't going to like what this man had come to say. "That's why I'm here. Have you ever heard of Imprinting?"

"Oh shit," Jennifer swore. Since she never swore, this brought the attention of everyone present directly to here. "You can't be…"

"I take it you _**have**_ heard of it?" Brian asked.

"Yes," Jennifer said. "The doctor explained. He thought it might be… and he drew blood to test, but we haven't gotten the results back yet. But… you can't be. You're not… You're…"

"Too old?" Brian said with a half-hearted smirk. "Yeah. I get that. It doesn't change the fact that it's true."

"Wait; will somebody please explain what is going on?" Daphne asked speaking up for the first time. "What exactly is Imprinting?"

"I…" Jennifer was obviously reluctant to explain. "It's sort of an extreme version of love at first sight? Only with chemical and hormonal triggers."

"Something like that, though it's more like an addiction than love," Brian said impatiently. He was starting to feel agitated being this close to Justin and still not being able to see him or touch him. "Listen, can I just see Justin?"

"Brian, can you tell me why you think you might be imprinted with my son?" Jennifer finally asked.

Brian quirked an eyebrow at the woman. How did she want him to answer that? Did she want to know he'd had a limp dick for three weeks? "I've been to my doctor too. And the tests turned up positive."

Jennifer nodded. "I'll take you up to Justin. Daphne, could you keep Molly company in the kitchen?"

Brian followed Jennifer up the stairs almost on her heels. He wanted to fight this relief that was flooding through him. He was doing this for Justin, not for himself. As soon as he saw Justin curled up on his bed, sheets rumpled around him and his hair mussed from sleep, he knew that was a lie. Yes he was here for Justin, but he was also here for himself.

"Justin," Brian murmured even as he moved to touch the younger man. He sat on the bed and smoothed the hair from Justin's brow and waited for Justin to become aware of his presence. The blond slowly opened his eyes and a smile spread across his face as he focused on Brian for the first time in weeks.

"Brian." Justin sat up and wrapped his arms around Brian. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the fog lifted completely from his mind and he felt complete. They sat like that, just holding each other for the longest time. Eventually Justin pulled back just enough to look up at Brian, but careful not to lose contact with the other man. "Why are you here?"

"Because I had to come," Brian said.

Justin, who could understand that, simply nodded and buried his face in Brian's chest, absorbing the feeling of being in Brian's arms again. Neither noticed when Jennifer left the room and closed the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Justin and Brian came down the stairs together, holding hands, just before Jennifer left to take Molly to school the next morning. It was the first time Justin had voluntarily gotten out of bed and showered in what seemed like forever. Any misgivings she night have had about allowing Brian to spend the night were immediately dispelled.

"There are pancakes keeping warm in the oven," Jennifer said. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Brian, I'm not sure if you want to go to the doctor with us, but Justin and I will need to leave as soon as I get back."

"I'll go," Brian said as he took a seat at the table. He still hadn't let go of Justin's hand. Once Jennifer and Molly were gone, Justin grabbed the plate of pancakes from the oven and brought them back to the table. He would have taken the seat beside Brian, but Brian had other ideas. He pulled Justin into his lap and that was how they ate their breakfast, Brian feeding him bites from a shared plate. And that was how Jennifer found them on her return.

The trip to the doctor's office was brief and silent. Jennifer wasn't really sure how to react to all of this. She hadn't even fully wrapped her mind around the things that the doctor had told her the day before when Brian had appeared, and so much had happened since then. She didn't even want to think about what Brian had done with her son just two doors down the hall from her last night. She had a feeling that she needed this appointment more than either of the other two people in the car.

As they waited to be called into the office, Jennifer tried to read a magazine, but her attention was inevitably drawn to Brian and Justin. They whispered to each other and smiled at each other. They touched each other. It was nothing overtly sexual, but there was an intimacy between them that made her uncomfortable.

When they were finally called into the office, Jennifer let out a sigh. The introductions were made as Brian and Justin took a seat on the sofa and Jennifer sat in one of the two armchairs. Once the doctor was seated he looked at all of them.

"Well, since Brian has joined us, I suppose telling you that the test came back positive is redundant," the doctor smiled. "And I see Justin is feeling a lot more like his old self now that he has had the opportunity to spend some time with Brian."

"Doctor, maybe you can explain to me, to us, a little more of what we can expect," Jennifer said. "Brian said something last night. He said that Imprinting was more like an addiction than falling in love. Is that true? And if it is, can it be broken?"

The doctor eyed Brian, who smirked back at him. "Well, I suppose one might categorize it that way, though I personally would not. But if you look at it from a purely biological perspective, it does have some similarities to addiction. The chemicals that people produce, hormones and pheromones, are in essence a means of attracting and keeping a mate. What we think of as love has a biological basis, but that is not the only factor. Nor is it the only factor in the case of Imprinted pairs.

"When a person with the genetic disposition for Imprinting actually finds a mate, the chemicals that are given off are much stronger than that of a normal person," the doctor explained. "It is, in essence, an instant addiction. But it is also more than that as well. Addictions are, by definition, negative. In this case, the Imprinted person's need for the chemicals produced by their partner can be better compared to an anemic person's need for iron. Biologically, they require the chemicals produced by their partner for their neurotransmitters to function normally."

"So is it completely a sexual imperative?" Jennifer asked. She deliberately kept her eyes away from her son as she asked this. "Honestly, I was just getting used to the idea that Justin is a sub, and now this… He's too young to be so caught up in such an advanced sexual relationship, isn't he?"

"No," the doctor said. "Justin is quite mature for his age, Jennifer. Biologically speaking, he is more than old enough for the Imprinting to take effect. But biology is simply the foundation. Our minds and bodies work in harmony with each other. In the case of an Imprinted pair, this biological imperative is the jumping off point. Imprinted pairs can be the ideal couples, especially when their proclivities are compatible, though that is not necessary. It has rarely happened that two alphas have imprinted or two subs. In any case, these couples work well together. They have shown to have an instinctive knowledge of their partners' needs and desires. Their biology tells them that they fit. Like a biological matchmaker. But it still takes time and patience to build on that biological foundation."

"I have a question," Brian said. "Will this need to be close all the time, to be touching all the time, go away? Because I'm not sure I can go to work with Justin attached to my side. And I sure as hell don't want to go back through high school with him."

The doctor smiled. "No, it will settle down. Think of this as a honeymoon phase, if you will. All Imprinted pairs are drawn to each other, especially in the early stages of their relationship. By denying yourselves for so long, you have increased this need. Give it a few days and you will be able to function normally again. I would not, however, suggest spending more than eight hours apart for a few months, and even then, I would make sure that it was the exception and not the rule. It will put a strain on both of you that would be unhealthy."

"So I guess that means I'm moving in," Justin said to Brian with a wide smile.

"Not so fast, princess," Brian smirked. "I haven't asked you. And I think your mother might have something to say about that." They both turned to Jennifer.

Jennifer was stymied. What the hell was she supposed to say? It was obvious Brian couldn't come to live with them. However she wasn't ready to let her baby boy go just yet. "If Brian wants you there, it may be the best option we have," Jennifer sighed.

"You'll stay with me," Brian said decisively. Then, too lighten the mood, "After all, I can't get laid without you anymore."

"Please!" Jennifer complained with a wince. "That is my son you are talking about."

"Jennifer, how are you coping with all of these changes?" the doctor asked, reading Jennifer's discomfort. "I know that this must be difficult for you."

"A few months ago, I didn't even know my son was a sub," Jennifer said. "Then Craig went nuts and Justin was in the hospital. Now, he's moving in with his boyfriend. I've heard everything you've said to me, and I even did a bit of research online last night. But it's still a lot to take in all at once. I want to be supportive and do what's right for Justin. But there is still a part of me that is screaming that it can't be true. He's too young to know his feelings about this or anything."

"I knew I was a sub when I was eleven, Mom," Justin told her. "The other boys were talking about how they were going to find a sub of their own someday, trying to figure out which of the boys and girls in our class were subs. I was busy imagining having an alpha to take care of me. Just because I didn't tell you, didn't mean it wasn't true. I haven't really changed at all."

"Just my perception of you," Jennifer said with a small smile. "I know that honey. I do. But I'm going to need time to make it all fit in my head. Do you understand?"

Justin just nodded.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"So you really can't have sex with anyone but me?" Justin asked with a grin.

Brian scowled at the teen. "Not since that night."

"So that computer trick?" Justin asked. "The omega?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Nothing."

"I think I could like this Imprinting thing," Justin said with a laugh as he followed Brian into the loft. He set his duffle bag down right inside the door and looked around.

"You would," Brian muttered. "You know, just because we're forced to live together doesn't mean I've changed my mind about love and collars and all that white picket fence bullshit."

Justin waved his hand in dismissal as he took a seat on the white sofa. "I told you weeks ago that's not what I want. I just want you."

"Well, for good or bad, you've got me now," Brian smirked as he took his seat beside Justin. Suddenly, he got very serious. "Now for the rules. The first rule is simple, as my sub, you depend upon me for everything; therefore I expect complete submission from you. It's a simple rule, but it is not an easy one to follow. When we are together, you will eat only from my hand as you did this morning. When I am not around, you will still act in accordance with my wishes. You will sleep in my bed unless you are being punished and then you will sleep on the floor at the foot of my bed. You will only come with my permission.

"The second rule is this: you will continue your education even though you can't go to school," Brian said. "We may be stuck together for the rest of our lives, but that doesn't mean that you will be allowed to slack off. I expect that you will attend university this fall, and you will do your best both now and when you start your college courses. We may discuss other rules in the future, but I think that covers the basics. If you disobey me—and I expect that you will despite your best intentions—I _**will**_ punish you," Brian continued. "You must learn from your mistakes; as a result, punishments will be swift and appropriate. However, I am not a cruel alpha. I will not simply punish you for the sake of punishment, and the punishments you receive will not be overly harsh. Do you understand?"

Justin swallowed at the complete control Brian was demanding, but knew that he could do what Brian asked of him. "Yes, sir."

Brian's easy-going smirk was back in place. "Good. Wanna go out tonight?"

"I'd rather stay in," Justin said with a leer that just didn't match his innocent face.

Brian chuckled. "Fine. For tonight, Princess. But I am not a homebody. I like going out. I like dancing. I like fucking."

"Ah, but that last one is dependant upon my cooperation," Justin smirked.

Brian leaned towards Justin in a playfully threatening way. "Are you trying to say that you would be able to deny me? Or are we going to have to go over those rules again?"

Justin looked completely serious when he replied, "I could never deny you anything, with or without those rules."

Brian nodded once before kissing his sub lover.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"I can't decide which is worse," Brian muttered to Justin as they dressed the next evening to go meet Brian's friends at Woody's. "Telling them or not telling them. If we don't tell them, they'll think I've gone all sappy and romantic and shit. If we tell them, well, then they'd _know_."

Justin shrugged. "Why do you need to tell them anything. It's not really anyone's business what we do or don't do. Let them speculate. I don't mind. Let them think I'm your boy toy if it fits your image better. I seriously doubt that their first inclination upon hearing that I live with you now would be to believe you've turned over a new leaf and are about to collar me."

"Hmm," Brian said thoughtfully. "You're probably right. They aren't that bright, on the whole. I mean, Ted may have some brains, but he never uses them. At worst, they'll think I'm corrupting you. I can live with that."

"Are you going to corrupt me?" Justin asked. "Because that sounds like fun."

"Not on a school night," Brian teased. "You have tutors tomorrow. But once we get this thing settled, we should explore what we can and can't do with others. I'm thinking you'd be a really good top for some switch or sub. I could watch that."

"If that doesn't work, you could always bottom for me," Justin said slyly.

"I don't think so, Princess," Brian said with tongue in cheek. "Your bottom's the only bottom around here. And that bottom's is going to get spanked if you keep sassing me."

"We'll see," Justin sang as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"The stalker sub's living with you?" Mikey asked, aghast. "When did that happen?"

Brian leaned over the pool table and lined up his shot. "Yesterday."

"So, earlier this week, you tell me we aren't allowed to even mention his name, and two days later you decide to ask him to move in with you? What the hell?"

"He's a good lay," Brian said with a shrug. "And he's amusing to have around."

Mikey shook his head in denial. "No. No, there's something else going on here."

Brian made his shot and looked at Mikey. "There's nothing going on. It's just like I said. I decided I like having him around, so he moved in." Brian walked around the table and lined up his second shot. Mikey was silent as Brian made that one and missed the next.

"Did he come chasing after you again?" Mikey asked while he looked over the table to find a shot he had a chance in hell to make. "Did he threaten to kill himself or something? Did his parents throw him out? What? Because you can't be thinking of collaring the kid."

Brian watched Mikey miss the ten-twelve combination shot. Normally he would have pointed out the easier nine ball to the left side pocket, but he wasn't in the mood tonight. "No, his mother didn't throw him out and he didn't try to use emotional blackmail. He didn't even try to contact me. I saw him again and decided I was wrong. I like having him around. He's very disobedient and I like spanking that perfectly round ass."

Brian ignored Mikey as he finished running the table and sank the eight ball. Without another word to his best friend, he went back to the table where Justin was listening to some outrageous tale Emmett was telling about his life in Mississippi, one Brian had heard a dozen times over the years.

"Time to go, Princess," Brian said as he kissed Justin's cheek. "I'm horny, and unless you want me to introduce you to the joys of bathroom stall sex, we ought to go home."

"Another night," Justin said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Thanks for the drink and the story, Emmett."

"It was a pleasure," Emmett smiled. "We'll have to meet up for lunch some time. You have my cell. I'll tell Ted you said goodnight."

"Thanks!" Justin called as he was forcibly dragged away by an impatient Brian.


	6. Chapter 6

They spent much of the days that followed just learning how to live with each other. Brian was not used to having another person invading his space and Justin was getting used to living within the confines of a submissive role. Neither was an easy transition for the two men. Justin liked that Brian wanted to take care of him, to see to his needs, but at the same time, he was used to doing things for himself, making his own choices. Now, he had to defer to Brian. If he wanted to just veg out in front of the TV instead of doing his school assignments, Brian was there to remind him that he was not the one who decided those things.

"The rule is, schoolwork first," Brian reminded him for the third time on Friday. Justin glared. He grabbed his text books and stomped over to the desk with more attitude than a queen in high drama. Brian growled. "Justin, get your bubble butt over here. Now!"

Justin looked surprised, but obeyed without a word. He set his books down and went to where Brian was sitting on the sofa and reading through some files for work.

"Kneel," Brian commanded.

Justin dropped to his knees and assumed the position that Brian had taught him on their second night together. His arms were behind his back and his hands clasped the opposite wrist. His knees were hip width apart and his back was straight. He hung his head and kept his eyes diverted out of respect. Brian looked over his posture for a moment. When he was satisfied that Justin was properly positioned, he picked up the file he had been reading and went back to work.

For the next twenty minutes, the only sound or movement in the room was the turning of pages and the scratch of pen against paper. Brian didn't acknowledge or even look at Justin again.

Justin, on the other hand, was reeling. His mind was in over drive. He had displeased Brian. He had pouted and stomped around like a two-year-old having a tantrum just because Brian wanted him to do his work. It wasn't a great way to behave. At the same time, Justin was surprised that Brian hadn't punished him right away. Was he going to wait and do it later? Would it hurt? Justin had never been spanked or caned. His parents had never spanked him and he'd been a good student and had never earned a caning at school. He had imagined being punished in his fantasies, but how would the reality compare? If he had to be honest, he was scared. Scared of the pain, but even more than that he was scared that Brian would reject him again.

When Brian finally set his work aside and looked back at Justin, the sub was a wreck. He had tears running down his cheeks and his breathing was hitched and uneven. "Hey, Princess. What's all this about?" He ran his hand down Justin's cheek and lifted his chin so that the sub would be forced to look him in the eye.

Justin tried to pull himself together, but couldn't. "I-I'm s-sorry! I was being a twat. I promise, I'll try to do better. Please don't send me away!"

Brian frowned but stroked Justin's cheek and hair in a soothing manner. "I'm not going to send you away. We're stuck with each other, remember? Besides, you were being an annoying little shit, but that's not a capital offence. I'm not going to cane you or send you away for something like that."

Justin hiccoughed twice and tried to get his breathing back under control. Brian took pity on him and pulled him over to his feet. Soon Justin was situated on the floor at Brian's feet, his head resting against Brian's legs. Brian continued to card his fingers through Justin's hair until the younger man was calm and clear headed again.

Without moving from their comfortable positions, Brian began to speak in a clear and calm tone. "Justin, there will be times when you do something that blatantly defies the rules I have set for you. When that happens, I will punish you appropriately. By that I mean, I will either spank you or cane you. But it would have to be pretty bad for me to cane you. And when it is over, I will take care of you until you are feeling better. I do not expect that you be perfect. And I will not send you away for some minor irritation. Fuck, Justin. If I did that, I wouldn't have any friends left. Mikey's the most irritating man I know at times. When you do something like what you did today, something that isn't outright defiance, I will make you stop what you are doing and take a time out."

"Like a kid sitting in the corner," Justin muttered.

Brian chuckled. "Just like that. You needed to stop and think about what you were doing and adjust your attitude. That was why I had you kneel. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Justin sighed and nuzzled his face into Brian's thigh. This was good. Not just the reassuring words, but the feeling of safety and utter contentment that came from having Brian pet him.

Brian smirked and shoved Justin away. "Good. So go do your homework." Brian got up and headed towards the door, grabbing his jacket on the way.

Justin got to his feet and frowned. "Where are you going?"

"To the store," Brian said. "Unlike you, I've finished my homework. And we need more supplies. I'll only be an hour. If you are good and finish your work before I get back, I might just have to reward you."

Justin's face lit up. He liked Brian's rewards. "A reward? What kind?"

"Do your homework and you'll find out," Brian said as he opened the door. "Bye, Princess." Then the door was closing behind him and Brian was gone.

Justin felt his absence like a hole in his gut, but it wasn't as bad or as painful as it had been before. This was the first time Brian had left him since they had reconnected on Tuesday. Justin decided that he really didn't like it, but he could live with this feeling, as long as he knew that Brian would be back.

Justin looked at the desk and then at the TV. With a sigh, he went to the desk and opened his Calculus text to the right chapter.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"Finished!" Justin announced happily when Brian arrived back at the loft a little over an hour later.

"Do I need to check your work?" Brian asked smugly as he set the groceries on the counter and Justin began to help him put the food away.

"You can if you want," Just said with an innocent smile. "Do you know much about Calculus, Advanced Chemistry or Latin?"

Brian glared. "I'll have you know I did very well in Calculus and Chemistry when I was in school."

"I'm sure you were," Justin said. "How much of it do you actually remember?"

Brian scowled and left Justin to put the groceries away while he went over to the desk to look at Justin's homework. He would never admit it to the little twink, but he really didn't remember any of the shit on the papers there. What the hell was this shit? "What the hell is this shit?" Brian asked out loud.

Justin chuckled and walked over to the desk. He took the chemistry paper from Brian's hands and said, "This is Advanced Placement Chemistry. We cover everything that a college course would cover. At the end of the year, I'll take a test, and if I pass, whatever school I choose will take this as credit. Same with my Calculus BC, Latin, Art History, World History, Computer Science, English Literature, and Computer Science courses. I took the test for AP Biology, U.S. History, English Language, Physics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Government and Politics, Psychology and Studio Art either last year or the year before. That's 57 credits. Basically, when I start college, I'll have all of my general education requirements covered. It will take almost two years off of school."

Brian's brow furrowed. "So you've been taking college level courses since your sophomore year of high school?"

"Yep," Justin said as he put the paper back down with his other homework.

Brian stared at his little bubble-butted sub. "Just how smart are you?"

Justin shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. Other students were taking AP classes sophomore year. It's because I went to a private school. Money buys a lot."

"How many AP classes did those other students take their sophomore year?" Brian asked, then stuck his tongue in his cheek as he waited for an answer.

Justin fiddled with the stack of papers. "Um. I'm not sure."

"Justin…"

"Okay," Justin sighed. "One. There were one or two who took two."

"And you took five your sophomore and junior years, and eight in your senior year," Brian said.

"I told you I'm a good student," Justin said.

"I guess so," Brian said with a sigh. "Let's sit down. We need to talk about your future." They went to the sitting area and Brian pulled Justin onto the sofa beside him. He wanted this to be a face to face discussion, and that couldn't happen with Justin on the floor at his feet. "Have you thought about what you want to do about college?"

Justin shrugged. "It will have to be around here since this is where you are."

"That's not what I asked," Brian said.

"Yeah," Justin sighed. "Okay, yeah. I want to go to Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Art. But…but my grades won't count for much with them. I mean, they're important, but they also look at your art portfolio. They're one of the most prestigious art schools in the country."

Brian nodded. "Okay. What will it take to get you in? What do they need? Have you started putting together your portfolio?" Justin stared wide-eyed at Brian. "What?"

"You… I mean, you'd let me go there? You'd let me study to be an artist?" Justin asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Brian asked.

Justin shook his head. "I don't know. Um, it's just, my dad insisted that I go to Columbia or Dartmouth or Carnegie Melon to study business. Mom wanted me to become a doctor and go to an Ivy League school."

"Yeah, well, that explains the economics courses and all the science classes. Justin, I don't give a fuck what you do, or where you go to school," Brian said vehemently. "This is your decision and yours alone. What I do care about is that you do your best at whatever you decide. If you want to be an artist, be an artist. But be the best damned artist you can be."

"What about money?" Justin asked. "Most people are more concerned with making a decent salary."

Brian smirked. "If you are the best, you will make money no matter what career you choose. Look at me. I make a top salary, comparable to the New York ad execs, plus commission bonuses because I'm the best at what I do. Most people my age are just getting their feet wet in the baby pool. I've been swimming in the deep end for years."

Justin nodded and looked at Brian. "You should start your own company. From everything you've told me, your agency wouldn't have shit without you. And whatever they pay you, it can't be as much as you could make for yourself."

Brian's left brow rose and he smirked. "I'll keep that in mind. For now, however, we were discussing your college career. What do you need to do to get in?"

Justin got up from the sofa and went over to the desk to grab his laptop, and then returned to sit next to Brian. He pulled up a website that listed and rated all the colleges in the U.S. He signed into his account and pulled up his list of favorites. The first on that list was PIFA.

"Okay, only about 15% of the students who apply are accepted," Justin said. "With that in mind, they require a minimum of 600 on each of the three SAT tests: Math, Writing and Critical Reading. They also require the submission of an application essay and a portfolio. But those are the bare minimum requirements. This website suggests that in order to have a chance of being accepted, you need closer to 700 on each of the test, a minimum of 3.7 for your high school GPA, participation in extra curricular activities, preferably some sort of outreach or volunteering, and a flawless portfolio."

Brian whistled. "Wow. All that for an art school? I knew PIFA was good, but that sounds more like you are trying to get into that Ivy League."

"I know," Justin sighed. "I'll have to use Pitt, Duquesne, and Carnegie Mellon as my back up schools."

"Okay, let's look at this one item at a time," Brian said. "SAT's. Have you taken them yet?"

Justin shook his head. "Not yet. I'm signed up to take them in November."

"Okay," Brian nodded. "I don't think you should have a problem with them, but we'll sign you up for prep classes just to make sure you do your best. Those classes usually have good advice about how to make the most of your knowledge. Okay, next: your GPA."

"No problems there," Justin said. "AP courses are weighted higher than normal courses. My GPA is actually about a 4.5. Without the weighting, I've got 3.9."

"Good." Brian said with a nod. "What about extracurricular activities?"

"I've been taking art courses after school since I was five," Justin said. "On top of that, there have been dance classes, music lessons, and self-defense classes. On the more socially relevant side, I organized the annual fundraiser for homeless relief at school for the last three years. I'm also a member of National Honor Society."

"So all that's left is your portfolio and the application," Brian said. "But if you've been taking art lessons since you were a kid, you should have a decent portfolio built up."

Justin shrugged. "It's okay."

"Any awards in there?" Brian asked.

"One or two," Justin told him. "Nothing major."

"You are going to have to stop being modest and learn to sell yourself if you want to get into this school," Brian huffed. "I'll help you with the application essay, but you'll have to face the interview alone with your work. You need to make the interviewer believe that you are the best thing since sliced bread. Without sounding conceited. We'll practice that too."

"Why are you doing all this?" Justin asked suddenly.

Brian looked surprised by the question. "Because you are mine. I take care of what is mine."


	7. Chapter 7

Justin looked over the worksheets from his SAT course and grimaced. This was such simple work. He knew this stuff. But Brian wanted him prepared for his SATs and so he took a deep breath and began filling out the worksheets. The next session was in two days and he would take his first practice test then. In the meantime, he had finished his homework and was now getting down to the extra work.

Brian looked up from his desk and saw Justin working steadily on his homework at the small conference table in Brian's office. They had gotten into a routine over the last few weeks. Brian went to work in the morning and Justin stayed home to meet with his tutors. Around one, Brian took his lunch and went back to the loft to pick Justin up. They would eat together and then head back to the office. Brian finished his work while Justin did his homework and worked on his SAT prep. If the younger man was finished before Brian, which often happened, he would either bring out his sketch pad or go to the art department and bug the team there for a while.

"Brian?" Justin said, looking up from his worksheet a while later. "Daphne called yesterday."

"Oh?" Brian asked distractedly. "What did she want?"

"She wants to go to the mall this evening," Justin said. "Homecoming is next weekend and she wants me to help her pick out a dress. Can I go?"

Brian finally looked away from the file he had been reading and frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Justin asked. "It's just the mall. And we wouldn't be gone for very long."

"Because you are an un-collared sub and Daphne is a weak beta," Brian said reasonably. "If someone tried something, who would protect you?"

Justin pouted. "I can take care of myself. I've been taking the self defense courses and I did just fine before I met you."

Brian raised one eyebrow. "You are pushing it, Princess. Change your tone."

Justin dropped his head. "Sorry."

Brian got up from his desk and walked over to Justin. He carded his fingers through Justin's hair and smiled. "Okay. You can go. But the first sign of trouble and I want you to come right home. Do not try and handle it on your own, do you understand?"

Justin grinned up at his alpha and said, "Yes sir. I promise. But there won't be any trouble."

"I'll expect you home before nine," Brian said.

"Yes, sir," Justin chirped. "Thank you, sir."

"Go call Daphne," Brian said. "I can tell you aren't going to get anything else done until you do."

Justin stood up and kissed Brian enthusiastically before rushing from the room, his cell phone already out and his fingers working the keys. Brian shook his head and went back to his desk. Justin was so easy to please sometimes. It was funny, but he'd never thought he could be a full-time alpha. He didn't think he would have the patience to deal with a needy sub. But Justin wasn't really a bother at all. And Brian actually liked taking care of the kid.

Some people might believe that it had to do with Justin's age. But the doctor they had seen with Jennifer was right. Justin was very mature for his age. He could have made a fine beta. He was strong, intelligent, and had more courage than most alphas. But under all that was a vulnerability that made Brian want to care for him and protect him from the world. There was an innocence in his smile and his eyes that Brian never wanted to disappear.

If this was what it meant to be an alpha with a sub, it wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be. Maybe he'd have to rethink his stance on collaring the kid. Eventually. No need to rush. Neither of them were going anywhere.

BJBJBJBJBJ

By ten o'clock that evening, Brian had changed his mind about how easy it was to have a sub. Justin still wasn't home and he wasn't picking up his cell phone. Brian wished he had thought to get Daphne's number before letting the damned kid go off with his friend. His mind kept playing all the worst case scenarios he could come up with as he paced the length of the loft. Brian was just about to get his coat and go looking for them when the door opened and Justin and Daphne came through looking sheepish.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Justin said with a nervous smile.

"Daphne say goodnight," Brian ordered, his eyes never leaving his sub.

"Oh, um, yeah," Daphne stammered. "Good night Justin. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Justin said as he gave her a hug. Daphne looked from Justin to Brian and back again before practically running for the door.

"She's right to run. She's lucky I don't cane her," Brian muttered.

"It wasn't her fault," Justin said timidly.

Brian scowled. "I gave my sub into her care and she disregarded my directive regarding his welfare. She deserves a caning."

Justin frowned but couldn't argue with his reasoning. Legally, Brian was right. "But there was a reason we were late."

Brian stared at his sub for long minutes. The fear that something had happened to him had subsided and been replaced with anger. Now that anger was beginning to fade. He went to the sofa and sat down, pointing to the ground beside him. Justin was quick to take his place on his knees. "Explain."

"We had just finished picking out Daph's dress—it's this cute pink frilly thing that looks great on her—and still had some time left, so we decided to get an ice cream from the food court," Justin said. "Unfortunately, we ran into one of the boys from my school. Chris Hobbes is one of the alphas who was causing the most trouble before I stopped going to school. He came up to us and started getting all alpha male on me." Brian growled low in his throat, but Justin ignored him and continued. "I promised you that I would leave at the first sign of trouble, so I grabbed Daphne and tried to get out of there. She wanted to stay and yell at him."

"She's got a mouth on her," Brian said. "One that will get into trouble if she isn't more careful."

"Yeah," Justin sighed. "Anyway, I tried to get us to the car, but Hobbes kept following us and once we were outside, he grabbed me and shoved me up against the car. Daphne started hitting him, but it was like a fly attacking a horse; more of an irritation than anything else. So I kneed him in the groin and then laid him out using some of my slick self defense moves." Justin was grinning at the memory. "That's when security showed up."

"What happened?" Brian asked. He was calmer now and could see some humor in the situation.

Justin's grin faded. "They took us all back to their offices for questioning. They said it looked like we were beating up on an innocent man. It took a while to fully explain the situation and by then, we were already late."

"Why didn't you call me?" Brian asked. "Or answer your damned phone?"

"It got broke in the fight," Justin admitted. "I'm sorry. I should have called from the security office, but all I could think about was getting out of there and getting home."

"You're right, you should have," Brian said. "And you shouldn't have gone to the food court. I didn't give you permission to go anywhere but dress shopping, did I?"

"No sir," Justin said in a subdued voice. His head was hanging now.

"I'm very proud of you for standing up for yourself and protecting yourself," Brian said. "But you broke the rules and you will need to be punished."

"Yes, sir," Justin said as visions of being spanked flashed in his head. Brian stood up from the sofa and looked down at Justin. Justin quickly stood up as well, waiting for his next directive.

"Strip."

Justin started at the abrupt command. His entire body was instantly covered in goose bumps, but he dared not disobey. Justin kept his gaze lowered as he slowly and deliberately removed the layers of his clothes until he was completely exposed to his lover's gaze. Brian didn't move or say anything for a very long time, long enough that Justin began to squirm uncomfortably.

"Hold still," Brian ordered and Justin immediately complied, forcing his restless body to remain motionless. Brian rose and ran one finger lightly up Justin's arm, causing a slight shudder to go through the young man's entire body. Brian stepped away and out of Justin's sight. "I think I need to clarify something for you. I am in charge of what happens within these walls and outside of them, not you, and definitely not Daphne. You belong to me."

Those words had the effect of making Justin's cock grow incredibly hard. Justin chanced a look over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Justin caught sight of a long wooden paddle in his lover's hand. A shiver broke through him, a combination of anticipation and fear.

"Brace your arms against the back of the sofa and spread your legs wide. You need to keep your balance," Brian instructed in a cool tone. Once Justin was in position, Brian continued. "I am going to spank you, Justin. I will give you five strokes for each offense. That's five for neglecting to call me and five for going for ice cream without permission. That's ten strokes. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Justin said breathlessly. His erection, at the promise of a paddling, seemed to ache even more. "Ten strokes."

"You will count each stroke out after I have administered it." Brian ran a cool hand over Justin's hip and arse. Justin pushed his hips back to gain more contact, but the hand disappeared.

CRACK!

"Oh fuck!"

"Princess, I believe I gave you an order. Unless you want to add to your punishment you will obey me."

"O-one!"

CRACK!

"Two!"

CRACK!

"Th-three!"

Justin thought he was going to pass out from the pain. The edge of the paddle struck at his most sensitive flesh where his arse met his thighs and left him feeling like his skin was burning. This was so much more than just the mild sting he had expected.

CRACK!

"Four!"

CRACK!

"Five!"

Justin's entire arse and the top of his thighs were on fire. The pain was so centralized that it seemed worse than anything he had ever felt. The next minutes were torturous for Justin, but surprisingly, by the time they reached eight, Justin felt his cock twitching back to life.

CRACK!

"Nine!"

CRACK!

"Ten!" Justin almost collapsed with relief. It was over. But then there were hands gently stroking his raw and reddened flesh. It hurt and yet was so enjoyable at the same time. His half-hard cock began to swell once again.

"Stay there," Brian instructed. Justin panted and tried to remain still as he heard Brian walk away from him and up the steps to the bedroom area. A few minutes later, Brian returned. Justin almost sighed in relief when he felt the cool tingle of a healing balm being spread over his sore ass.

"Disobedience will only get you into trouble, Justin," Brian purred into Justin's ear as he leaned over the still bent young man. As he continued to talk, Justin could feel his fingers quickly preparing his arse with the same balm and moaned at the cooling sensation. "You will learn that if you want something, you need to ask for it first. If you are faced with a situation where you do not know how to handle, you will call me. You may not always agree with me, but I will expect you to respect my decisions."

Justin nodded blindly, "Yes, sir, anything! As long as I can have your cock in me!"

"You are a greedy slut, aren't you," Brian purred and plunged deep into Justin, burying himself in one thrust. Justin screamed his pleasure and pain. Brian's heated flesh made Justin's arse sting all the more each time their bodies collided. It was an almost brutal joining, but Justin reveled in it, in the baseness of Brian's possession of him. Brian grasped his hips and began pulling Justin towards him as he pushed roughly into Justin's tight channel. The adrenaline from his confrontation, the pain and arousal from his punishment followed by this incredibly animalistic fuck was too much for the younger man. After only a few minutes, Justin felt his balls tighten just before his world exploded, and then he was coming harder than he could remember.

Brian continued to pump into his abused body, but Justin was like a rag doll, totally lost to anything at that point. His entire world was focused into a single point of light behind his eyelids. Soon, however, Brian was coming as well, crying out hoarsely as he spent his seed into the condom.

Justin didn't think he lost consciousness, but he didn't really remember getting to the sofa. He simply became aware slowly of the hands stroking his arms and back gently. His head was resting on Brian's chest and he listened for a long time to the heartbeat pulsing steadily there.

"Are you back?" Brian asked quietly.

"Yeah," Justin sighed happily. "I didn't pass out or anything, did I?"

Brian chuckled, "No. You simply needed a minute to come back to earth."

"I'm sorry I worried you," Justin said quietly. "I didn't mean to."

Brain petted Justin's hair and smiled to himself. "I know. And like I said before, I'm proud of the way you stood up for yourself. But you should never have been in that position in the first place."

Justin sat up and looked down at Brian. "You can't protect me all the time, Brian. There will be times when I have to be on my own."

Brian snorted. "Twat. Of course there will be times when I'm not with you. But I s=can still protect you."

"You mean…?"

"A collar," Brian sighed. "I hate the very idea of them, but… It would protect you from idiots like the one you ran into tonight."

Justin was stunned. "You don't have to do that. I know how you feel about collars."

"I never do anything I don't want to do," Brian said. "It won't change anything between us. We're already stuck with each other. What will change is the way the rest of the world treats you. I think giving up my obsolete principles is worth that added protection."

Justin was silent for a while and laid back down with his head on Brian's chest. "Why obsolete?"

Brian paused before answering. "Obsolete because with or without a piece of jewelry around your neck, you belong to me. Obsolete because I've discovered that being bound to someone for the rest of my life isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Obsolete because I kind of like knowing that no one else will ever get to touch what is mine."

Justin grinned and looked up at Brian. "So. When can we get that collar?"

Brian growled playfully. "When I'm damned well ready, Princess. And not a second before."


	8. Chapter 8

Justin was bored. He had finished his SAT prep course and taken the test last week. His schoolwork wasn't hard enough to occupy his attention for long, and the art team was tired of having him hang around all the time. He went to the office with Brian everyday but Brian was swamped with work and paid little to no attention to his sub while he was working. Justin simply didn't have enough to keep him busy. He needed more to do, more attention, more sex.

Now that was a thought. Justin grinned to himself. How great would it be to get Brian so worked up that he took him right there over his desk? Or up against the wall? Justin looked at Brian, typing away at his computer, completely oblivious to the schemes and fantasies drifting through his sub's mind. Justin let his mind come up with all kinds of scenarios. Sometimes he was tied to the desk. Other times, Brian used his hair to hold his head in place while he fucked his mouth. Justin's favorite was the one where Brian put a gag in his mouth so that his assistant wouldn't hear Justin's cries as Brian pinned him to the floor and fucked him hard.

"I'll be back," Brian muttered as he carried a file out of the office and closed the door behind him.

Justin sat at the table and thought hard about what he wanted to do. Could he really? Yes, he decided, he could. Just the thought of what he was about to do had Justin hard already, his cock straining against the fly of his jeans. Quickly pulling the blinds closed and removing his clothes, Justin laid down on the sofa. Once comfortable, he ran a hand down his chest and tweaked his nipple. The pleasure/pain sent a shock to his groin and he let out a soft moan. He could already picture Brian walking into the office, first the surprise of finding his sub masturbating on his sofa, and then watching him with lust filled eyes. He caressed his cock lightly, just enough to tease, just enough to make it grow impossibly harder.

When the door finally began to open, Justin gave in and fondled his cock with long, slow, firm strokes. He let a small groan escape his lips. He could see that his alpha had stopped short and was now just standing in the doorway, watching. His heart rate increased with the knowledge. He was jerking himself off in a public place, and Brian was watching him. It was delicious.

He ran his hands down his chest once more, tweaking each nipple in turn before moving on to caress his sac, all the while continuing the slow and torturous stroking of his erection. His fingers accidentally brushed against his perineum and he gasped in unexpected pleasure. It was so good. It was so fucking hot.

Justin heard the door close behind Brian and shifted his pose slightly to allow the alpha a better view. Then he sucked his fingers into his mouth, letting the saliva coat them thoroughly. He reached back to his puckered entrance and began teasing all around it with his spit slick finger before pushing past the ring and fucking himself. His breath hitched and he let out another moan, this one louder, echoing through the office. He didn't care. This was too good, too hot.

Both hands sped up their pace, and Justin could feel the edges of his orgasm approaching. He added a second finger to his ass and they brushed against his prostate, causing Justin to lose all control.

"Oh! Fuck yeah! Brian! Oh fuck me!" Justin cried out, not even aware he was speaking out loud until he heard something crash outside the door. He froze in place, making quite the picture with his hand still gripping his cock and his fingers shoved firmly up his ass.

"Princess," came the silky smooth voice of his alpha.

Justin turned his head and stared at the alpha, who was approaching him in a most menacing manner. He still could not move. It was one thing to know that Brian was watching, but the idea that others might have heard his moans was unnerving. Add to that the fact that Justin hadn't asked for permission to jerk off, and this situation could go very badly, he suddenly realized. Had Justin finally lost his mind? Why else was he naked, jerking off in Brian's office where anyone could have come in?

"Sir?" Justin gulped.

"What, exactly, do you think you are doing?" Brian growled as he reached Justin. Justin finally got the impetus to move, but Brian's hands trapped his where they were. They neither let Justin pull away or continue to pleasure himself. He was simply trapped.

"I… I was… masturbating?" Justin said.

"Is that a question?" Brian smirked. "I know what you were doing. Why were you doing it here? In my office? And without my permission?"

"I… I wanted to surprise you," Justin mumbled, his eyes downcast.

"You wanted to surprise me?" Brian scoffed. "Or did you want to get my attention because you were bored?"

"Yes sir," Justin whispered, completely breathless by now.

"To which question is that in reference?" Brian breathed as he pulled Justin to his feet and allowed his body to press against Justin from behind. Justin could feel the larger man's erection press against his back.

"Um, both?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Brian said and Justin could feel his hot breath against his neck just before the man latched on to suck and mark Justin as his. "You want me to fuck you? Well, you certainly have worked hard enough for the privilege."

Brian pinched Justin's already abused nipple and he gasped, squeezing his cock harder.

"Turn and face the wall," Brian ordered in that steely tone that made Justin squirm. "Place your hands against it above your head. Spread your legs for me."

Justin moved quickly, looking over his shoulder as he heard the faint rustle of Brian's belt being unbuckled. His alpha was quick to shed his own pants and position himself behind Justin.

"No lube," Brian complained. "Well, a little spit and the lubed condom will have to do." Justin forgot to think as Brian pressed two long fingers against his needy hole. "You really have become a slut since meeting me. I should spank you for your transgressions, but I think that can wait for another time."

"Oh yes, sir!" Justin moaned. "Please, sir!"

"You are quite a kinky little whore, trying to give a free show to my colleagues," Brian smirked. "But you belong to me!" Brian pressed his fingers inside, hitting Justin's prostate on the first try, and Justin cried out his agreement. Hell, he would agree to just about anything in that moment if it meant that he could feel Brian's cock up his ass. "We'll have to explore just how kinky you are."

"Please sir!" Justin almost sobbed. "I need you! Fuck me, please!"

"You beg so prettily," Brian said, but Justin could hear the mounting frustration in his tone. Brian was just as turned on by all of this as he was. He quickly removed his fingers and Justin could feel the head of Brian's cock press against his entrance, but went no further. "You are mine…Say it!"

"I'm yours! I'm your little whore, sir!" Justin cried out and Brian breached him in one long slow stroke that stole Justin's breath away. It burned and it ached all the way up his lower back, but it was good. Justin liked it that way. The mix of pain and pleasure made him feel so alive.

Brian grunted and pulled all the way out before thrusting in again, harder this time. Justin had to brace his arms, or else he would have been thrust face first into the wall. Soon, the burn had faded and Justin was thrusting back as hard as his position would allow. Their pace became frantic, each reaching for the orgasm that was on the edge of their awareness. When Brian grasped Justin's cock and fisted it roughly, Justin found his release and came explosively against the wall.

Justin's arms finally gave out as he climaxed and his face and chest pressed into the smooth wall as Brian continued to pound roughly into him, Justin was able to enjoy the feel of the silk of Brian's shirt against his back, the sound of flesh meeting flesh, the sensation of being filled completely. Justin was almost hard again by the time he felt Brian's fingers dig painfully into his hips. The older man jerked a few times, milking his cock, and then rested his head against Justin's shoulder.

When they had both caught their breath, Brian pulled away and turned Justin to face him. "Did I hurt you?"

"Only as much as I wanted," Justin said shyly, not quite meeting his alpha's eyes.

"We really shouldn't have done that here," Brian scolded, but he couldn't be too hard on his sub when he had enjoyed it as much as the younger man. "I'm pretty sure half the office heard you screaming, even if they couldn't see anything."

Justin blushed furiously. "Oh. Maybe next time, you could gag me?"

Brian laughed. "You really do have some kinks, Princess. We're definitely going to explore them, but not here. I'm done for today, so why don't we get out of here and go get something to eat?"

"Yes, sir," Justin grinned. He couldn't wait to explore more kinks with his alpha.

BJBJBJBJBJ

Jennifer liked to stop by the loft unannounced, which drove Brian absolutely crazy, but Justin seemed to enjoy having his mother around. Brian, who hated his own mother, couldn't relate. He often found excuses to leave while Jennifer was around. Jennifer tried not to take it personally, but it was hard not to. Brian was all set to make his escape again one afternoon when Jennifer stopped him by the door.

"I actually wanted to discuss something with you," she said with a wry smile, her hand tight around Brian's arm.

Brian looked down at her hand. He knew he could pull away and leave, and there would be nothing she could do to stop him. But she was Justin's mother and she had been supportive. "What's that?" Brian said. He moved away from the door and went to the sofa where Justin was already seated.

"The holidays are coming up," Jennifer said. "And I was hoping that you and Justin would spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Molly and me."

"Shit," Brian muttered. "This is why I don't do relationships and families and such."

"I know you don't like these things, but we could just go for dinner, couldn't we?" Justin asked, biting his lower lip in worry.

Brian shook his head. "That's not the problem. The problem is that Debbie will want us at her place too."

"Oh," Justin said with relief.

"Who is Debbie?" Jennifer asked Justin.

"I told you about her," Justin said. "She's Brian's friend Michael's mom. She works at the diner on Liberty Ave. She's like Brian's adopted mom."

"Right, the redhead." Jennifer said. "Well, I'm sure we can figure something out. Maybe dinner at one house and dessert at the other?"

"I'll talk to Debbie," Brian sighed. He knew that the discussion would be more complicated than figuring out who would serve them dinner and who would serve dessert. Once she realized that Brian was spending time with Justin's family, Debbie wouldn't let the subject drop until she knew everything.

After that, Brian left the mother and son to their visit and left the loft. He had thought about going to the gym, but now he figured he might as well get the conversation with Debbie done. He headed for her house.

Twenty minutes later, Brian was knocking on Debbie's scarecrow festooned door.

"Brian!" Debbie greeted in her usually loud way. She gave him a suspicious look. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I need an excuse to stop in and chat?" Brian asked innocently.

"Most people I would say no," Debbie said as she led the way into the living room. "With you, the answer is definitely yes. Now sit and spill."

Brian sighed as he took off his jacket and sat in the armchair across from Debbie, who had made herself comfortable on the couch. "Where's Vic?"

"He's out delivering meals," Debbie said. "It's just you and me, kiddo, so stop stalling."

Brian chuckled. "Okay. I was reminded this afternoon that the Holidays are coming up."

"And that brought about this sudden need to see me?" Debbie asked. Then her face fell. "Oh no you don't. You aren't getting out of family dinner so you can go gallivanting off to some tropical island."

"I wish it was a tropical island," Brian muttered. "Justin's mother wants us to go there for Thanksgiving. When I mentioned that you would expect us here, she suggested that we do dinner at one place and dessert at the other."

Debbie's eyes widened. "Jesus Brian. I knew you had the kid living with you, and I knew that things were probably a bit more serious than you were letting on… but holiday dinner with the family? That's fucking serious."

"Tell me about it," Brian groused.

"Well, I'm all for sharing the wealth, so whatever you and Justin decide will be fine with me," Debbie said. "I just want all my kids here with me. I expect Justin's mom feels the same."

"Yeah," Brian agreed. "How did I get included in that category, though?"

"Shacking up with her baby boy might have something to do with it," Debbie snorted. She looked Brian over with a calculating eye. "This is serious, though, isn't it?"

Brian nodded. "Too serious."

"You gonna give the kid a collar?" Debbie asked bluntly.

"We had discussed the possibility," Brian admitted with tongue in cheek.

Debbie sat back in her chair. "There's more going on here. Not even Sunshine's cute bubble butt would be enough to turn you around so quickly. And I know for a fact that you haven't been playing around like you did before he came along. I can't believe that one night with the kid would be enough to make you change so completely."

"There's more," Brian said quietly.

"So spill, asshole," Debbie demanded.

Brian took a deep breath. "We're imprinted."

"You mean that shit Emmett was spouting off about a couple years ago?" Debbie asked. "The chemical soul mates thing?"

"Emmett read about Imprinting?" Brian asked with surprise. "I never listen to that queen. Yes, it's like a chemical soul mate thing. Once we connected, we can't be with anyone else. Ever."

Debbie laughed. It was not a quiet ladylike laugh, either. This was a gut-busting, rip-roaring laugh that could shake the foundations of the house. "Jesus Brian! Only you! God does have a sense of humor!"

"Yeah, and he's laughing his ass off at me right now," Brian grumbled. "So I'm stuck with the Princess, and he's stuck with me."

"Well, good for you," Debbie said with a wide smile. "And get a collar on that boy. Sooner than later. He's yours and you want to make sure it stays that way. He's not safe going out all the time without one. You know that. And you can't be with him all the time."

"I know," Brian sighed. "Like I said. We've discussed it. I thought I'd give it to him for Christmas."

"Don't wait," Debbie advised. "Tell him it's an early gift if you must, but don't wait. You never know what kind of idiots are out there."

"One tried to molest him at the mall a couple weeks ago," Brian said. "Justin laid him flat. But that's why I decided to go ahead and collar him."

"Like I said, don't wait," Debbie told him. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Take him to the mall or one of them boutique shops you like so much and get that boy a collar."

Brian nodded. He'd known what Debbie would say about all this even before he came. "You won't tell Mikey or Vic about the imprinting, will you?"

Debbie shrugged. "None of their business, I suppose. But I don't see that it's anything to be ashamed of either."

Brian nodded and got up. He put his jacket on before helping Debbie to her feet. Debbie turned her cheek up for a kiss, and Brian obliged with a small smirk. "I'll tell Jennifer that we'll have dinner with her and Molly, then come here for dessert. I think Justin would revolt if he had to miss any of Vic's baked goods."

"It's no wonder the boy's got a bubble but that could stop traffic," Debbie said with wonder. "The way he eats."

"I just want to know why it all goes there and skips the rest of him," Brian said. "The rest of his body is skinnier than me."

"Go home," Debbie said as she pushed Brian to the door. "And take care of your boy."

"I will," Brian promised before disappearing out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

The loft was quiet when Brian returned a couple hours later. That wasn't unusual. When Justin painted, he usually put on music, but if the music ran out before he finished, he rarely broke away from what he was working on to put more on. So Brian wasn't surprised to find Justin standing in front of his easel at the back of the loft. He wasn't surprised that his young lover was so lost in his work that he hadn't heard the loft door open and close. He was surprised, however, to find that Emmett was posing for Justin. Completely nude.

"Christ, Justin!" Brian shouted with a grimace. "Could you warn a man? What a sight to come home to."

"Sorry!" Justin chirped happily, his eyes never leaving his work. "Emmett just dropped in and I got inspired."

"I'm not sure how that can be inspiring when you get to see me naked on a daily basis," Brian whispered into Justin's ear as he wrapped his arms around his young sub. Then he got a good look at Emmett's package. "For fuck's sake!"

Emmett blushed, "I'm a grower, not a shower."

Brian narrowed his eyes at the tall queenly omega. "And just why were you growing around my Justin?"

"Not for that!" Emmett protested. "I always get hard when I'm naked in front of people." He started to get up and put on his clothes, but Justin shouted at him to stay still. Looking confused, Emmett turned to Brian, who shrugged and walked away.

"Fine! Do what you're going to do," Brian said melodramatically. "It's only my home and my sub!"

"Brian!" Justin whined. "I need another good portrait for my portfolio! We talked about that!"

"I said it was fine, didn't I?" Brian said, but his tone was sulky. He grabbed the bottle of Jim Beam from the counter and poured himself a double before heading into the sitting area. "Just make sure to spray down that chair when he's gone!"

Justin rolled his eyes and went back to work. Emmett huffed, but settled back into his pose. All was silent and still for about twenty minutes until Brian came back over to watch Justin paint. He watched the large strokes of paint that should have just been globs of color, but somehow took shape into light and shadow. There were no defined lines, but Brian could still see the shape and contours of Emmett's body in the paint. It was pretty incredible to watch.

"What's that?" Brian asked, pointing to a blob of blue in one corner. There was no corresponding blob on the wall behind Emmett.

"That's going to be Emmett again," Justin said. "And I'll have another on this side." Justin pointed to the red blob on the other side of the painting.

"Like an angel and devil on his shoulder?" Brian asked.

"More like an alpha and a sub," Justin shrugged. "Shows his dual nature as an omega."

"How long will this take?" Brian asked.

Justin looked at his painting and then at Emmett. "At least two more sittings. Why?"

"Just curious," Brian said. "I've never actually seen you paint before. I mean from start to finish. I've seen the results, but not the process."

Justin continued to work for a while, and Brian stood back and let him. A little later, Justin had Emmett stand up and strike an alpha pose to the left behind the chair. Brian watched as Justin repeated his earlier process of filling in large splotches of color until shapes and shadows began to form the image of Emmett. An hour later, he moved Emmett to the other side of the chair, standing with his head down and arms behind his back in a classic submissive pose and repeated the process one last time. When Justin was finished for the night, there were three very distinctive figures in recognizable poses. The details weren't there yet, but Brian could see where Justin was taking the scene already.

"Thanks Emmett," Justin said as he began to clean up his brushes and Emmett got dressed. "You can come again on Thursday, right?"

"Yeah," Emmett said and gave Brian a calculating gaze. "As long as it's okay with your alpha."

Brian growled. That's two people now questioning his relationship with Justin. Well, he might have told Debbie, but he wasn't going to tell Emmett. "It's fine. He needs the work to get into PIFA."

"Honey, I've seen your portfolio," Emmett said to Justin as he put an arm around the younger man's shoulders. "Believe me when I say it is fantastic. You have more than enough great work to get into that school. But I'm happy to pose for you anyway. Someday, my picture will be worth millions."

Brian frowned. He hadn't seen Justin portfolio, but Emmett had? "Hey! Keep your fucking hands off and go home."

"Night!" Emmett sang as he swished his way out the door.

Once the door was closed, Justin turned to Brian. "Why were you so mean to him? He was doing me a favor."

"I'm always mean to him," Brian said negligently. "He wouldn't know how to react if I was nice. Now, get your bubble but over here so I can take advantage of you."

Justin grinned. "What's the hurry? We have all weekend."

"Not all weekend," Brian murmured into Justin's neck after pulling the younger man into his lap. "We have to be somewhere in the morning."

"We do?" Justin asked breathlessly. Brian's tongue and teeth were doing wicked things to melt his brain into a puddle of mush.

"We do," Brian confirmed as he pushed a protesting blond off of his lap. "But I'm not telling. It's a surprise. Now go get naked, put on your blindfold and ball-gag and lay face down on the bed. I want to play tonight."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Brian and Justin got up early the next morning, or at least it seemed early to them after spending most of the night exploring Justin's sexual boundaries. Brian had learned early on that Justin was not a morning person. He was like trying to wake a grizzly bear in Deccember. But once he had some food and caffeine in his system, he was even more perky than usual. With that end in mind, Brian dragged the half asleep teen to the Diner and filled him up with eggs, pancakes and coffee.

"So where are we going?" Justin asked after the carbs and caffeine hit his system.

Brian smirked and shook his head. His sub was so predictable. "I told you last night that it's a surprise. You'll see when we get there."

Justin seemed to bounce in his seat. "I hate waiting."

"Let's go," Brian said as he pushed away the remainder of his egg-white omelet. Justin jumped out of the booth and practically danced out the diner while Brian paid for their meal. Brian shook his head again and thought that he was glad he hadn't told Justin where they were going or he would have been ten times worse.

They drove through Pittsburgh and took the highway through the Liberty tunnel towards the airport. Justin watched their route, trying to figure out just where they were going. There was a mall out here, but Justin didn't think that Brian would bring him to a mall. Besides, what sort of store at a mall made appointments. He wasn't completely surprised when they missed the exit that would have taken to the mall. In fact, they continued on towards the airport.

"Can you at least tell me what state we're going to?" Justin asked after Brian had parked the car in the short term parking lot.

"New York," Brian said with a smirk. "In fact, that would be the city as well."

"And this appointment we have is in New York?" Justin asked with a smile.

"It is," Brian confirmed. "Now hurry up. We don't want to miss our flight."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

They arrived in New York and took a taxi to the Four Seasons Hotel, where Brian checked them in. They only stayed long enough for Justin to admire the posh room and Brian to stow the overnight case he had packed for the two of them before heading back out onto the streets of Manhattan. Rather than catching another cab, they walked to the shopping district on Fifth Avenue. Justin was amazed by the many shops and designer stores that lined the avenue, but Brian didn't give him time to window shop. They had an appointment to keep.

"We can spend some time shopping tomorrow," Brian finally told Justin as he dragged the younger man away from one more store window. And if you're good, I'll even agree to go to one or two museums on Monday."

Justin paused on the street, making several tourists swerve to avoid running into him. "How long are we staying?"

"Our flight back is on Tuesday morning," Brian said. "I spoke with your tutors and arranged to have them come later in the week. Now come on. We're going to be late."

They arrived at the doors to Tiffany's and Brian ushered a confused Justin inside. Brian seemed to know exactly where he was going, so Justin followed him to the elevators at the back of the store. Brian gave the attendant the floor number and the doors soon closed on the bustling first floor show room. When they opened again, it was much quieter. Brian led Justin to a small showroom where a salesperson was waiting for them.

"Mr. Kinney? Welcome to Tiffany's," the man said with a smile. "I have arranged a selection based upon your requirements for you and your sub to look over. If you'll just follow me."

The man led them through another doorway and they were in a private viewing room with what appeared to be sparkling collars lined on black velvet on the only table in the room. Brian took a seat at the table and Justin knelt on the pillow provided at his feet.

"A collar?" Justin whispered with something akin to awe.

Brian shrugged. "Thought we should make it official. Let people know you're taken."

Justin's smile was worth all the trouble and expense Brian had gone to in order to make the weekend happen on such short notice. The salesman sat on the other side of the table and began showing them the selection of collars he had gathered. Brian looked each one over and rejected each one in turn.

"None of these is right," Brian complained. "They are either too effeminate or too plain."

"I kind of like the one with diamonds and rubies," Justin said meekly. Brian just glared at him.

The salesman looked crestfallen for a moment, but then his face lit up. "I believe I may have something that might be of more interest to you. Just give me a moment."

The salesman disappeared for several moments and Justin relaxed against Brian's leg while the older man carded his fingers through Justin's hair. When the salesman returned, he was carrying another black velvet cloth which he spread out on the table top. This time, there were four collars revealed. The first on was a simple platinum herringbone chain with a single sapphire dangling from charm at the front where Brian's name could be engraved. The second was black titanium and made up of a series of curved bars, each encrusted with a small diamond, again with a charm for Brian's name. The third one was similar to the second, but the titanium was silver in color and each bar had a sapphire surrounded by two smaller diamonds.

"They all have the standard break link," the salesman said as he watched Brian finger each of the three collars. "For the safety of your sub. If that link is ever broken, you can return here or take the collar to any reputable jeweler and have it replaced quite easily."

"We'll take both of the titanium collars," Brian finally said. He looked at Justin. "The black will be for everyday use."

"Would you like us to engrave the charms while we do the adjustments?" the salesman asked after they had measured the collars to fit Justin. He was rather pleased by the commission he would receive from this sale. "I can show you our selection of leashes while you wait."

Brian nodded and ignored the man while he gathered the rejected collars and took their selection away to be fitted and engraved. "Happy Princess?"

"Very," Justin smiled up at his alpha. "I would have been just as happy with a simple leather collar, though."

Brian snorted. "Sure you would. I know your tastes better than you think. Besides, you are a reflection on me and I won't have my sub going around in a tacky leather collar like a dog."

Justin laughed but didn't have time to respond before the salesman returned with the leashes. Again, there was a wide variety to choose from. In the end, Brian chose two. One was a simple chain of black titanium to go with the black titanium collar. The second was more ornamental, silver titanium with sapphires both at the clasp that would attach to Justin's collar and at the other end, where Brian would control the leash.

They were left alone again, and Brian pulled Justin up into his lap. For the next fifteen minutes, he teased and tormented his sub with kisses, never allowing the heat between them to catch flame as it could so easily do. When the salesman returned for the final time with the silver collar and chain in one of Tiffany's distinctive blue boxes, and the everyday collar set out on the black velvet once more, Justin was flushed and pliant. He knelt once more while Brian fastened the collar around his neck and secured the lock. The salesman placed that key on a simple titanium chain which Brian put around his own neck to wear.

Brian leaned down and kissed Justin one last time. "You're mine now. Completely and utterly mine."

Justin nodded with a languid smile on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

They left Tiffany's connected by the brand new leash. Justin reveled in the admiring glances they received as they walked back up Fifth Avenue. He knew they were a striking couple. Brian was everything an alpha should be and Justin knew he was an attractive sub. But the combination of the two of them together, so openly displaying their relationship, was one that made people stop and stare.

They went back to the hotel and changed for dinner and a night out at one of New York's dance clubs. Dressed in leather hot pants and doc martin boots both in blood red, Justin was very aware that it was November, but Brian had also brought a long coat for his sub and had called ahead for a cab so that he wouldn't feel the cold too keenly. Soon they were on their way to one of the city's hottest restaurants.

Dinner was unusual for Justin. He was used to Brian feeding him by now, but restaurants in Pittsburgh did not cater to alphas and their subs. This restaurant not only made allowances for subs, but they seemed to be all about this special relationship. They were shown to a table for two, but there was only one chair. Like at the store that afternoon, Justin was given a soft pillow so that he could kneel beside his alpha. And the food they were served was designed to be easily shared from one plate. Justin looked around the restaurant and noticed that there wasn't a single table that didn't have at least one sub.

"Pittsburgh should have places like this," Justin said as he waited for Brian to pour more wine. "No one ever really acknowledges that alpha/sub relationships exist at home. When we go to restaurants, I either have to kneel on the floor or sit on your lap. And people always look at us like we're odd. Like none of them have ever seen a sub before."

Brian took a sip of wine before offering Justin a drink. "The Pitts is still a bit provincial at times. Most cities have restaurants like this one. Chicago, LA, DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, even Cleveland has a few. I think we'll get there eventually."

After dinner, they walked the three blocks between the restaurant and the club. Again, Justin was reminded of the differences between New York and Pittsburgh. The club was filled with alphas and subs, many of whom were wearing a collar and leash like Justin, though Justin thought that his was the nicest one. There were also betas and omegas in the crowd, but again it was obvious that this place was very welcoming of the alpha/sub pairs. Justin had never felt out of place at Babylon, but it was obvious that the club was geared towards the betas and the unattached.

They danced long into the night and Justin didn't think he could have had a better time. By the time they made it back to the hotel, they were both flying high and fell into bed with no intention of sleeping.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

"Why exactly do I need tailored suits?" Justin asked as he stood patiently while the tailor fitted him.

"Because there will be times when I will have to entertain clients and you will have to go with me," Brian said patiently.

"But why hand made tailored suits?" Justin asked. "Can't we get something from Neiman Marcus?"

Brain scowled. "No we cannot get some no-name, ready-made, off-the-rack suit. This is Armani. And we're going to Dolce next, followed by Zegna and if we have time we'll go to Roberto Cavalli's store. Then we can go to Barney's and Bergdorf Goodman to find some everyday clothes that are more fitting of your station."

Justin frowned. "Coming from anyone but you, I'd think that station comment was insulting."

"I mean, your role as my sub," Brian said with a roll of his eyes. "The way you dress reflects on me. I know you love to paint, but I am not letting you go out with paint spattered jeans all the time."

"Okay," Justin sighed as he was finally released and allowed to step down from the plinth where he had been standing. Then it was Brian's turn to be fitted and Justin couldn't help but admire the way Brian made the suits look spectacular. The truth was Justin thought Brian could make something from Walmart look chic.

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

On the flight back to Pittsburgh, Brian was in a foul mood. He and Justin had spent Monday going to the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum to look at art. Brian wasn't a huge fan of museums, but he could afford to indulge Justin's love of art for one day. That wasn't what had him growling almost the entire trip. No, he was just now realizing that Justin was collared and he was going to have to explain that to Mikey, Ted and Emmett.

Justin, wisely, stayed quiet after being barked at for humming while they waited for the airplane to begin boarding. He had spent the majority of the flight sketching ideas for new paintings that he wanted to try after spending time admiring the works of some of his favorite artists.

Once they were on the ground and had retrieved Brian's jeep, Justin once again tried to break through Brian's anger. "Um, are we going back to the loft? Because I thought we were supposed to go see Debbie."

Brian sighed and turned off at the next exit so that he could back track to Debbie's house. He had almost forgotten his promise to stop in and show her Justin's collar. She had called the day before while they were having lunch at some dive that Justin insisted on trying. Admittedly, the food had been better than Brian had expected, but he tried to avoid eating at places like that for appearances sake. Liberty Diner was his one exception to that rule.

He remained silent the rest of the way to Debbie's and even the walk to her front door, but once Debbie caught sight of them, the silence was over. "Sunshine! Look at you! That is one impressive collar!"

Justin blushed but accepted the hug Debbie offered. "Brian picked it out."

"About time, too," Debbie said sagely. "Well, come in then!"

They were soon all seated in Debbie's living room and the silence fell once again. "Alright, what has you in such a foul mood, Brian Kinney? You have just gotten back from what I'm sure was a wonderful weekend with Justin and you look more like you're heading for your execution."

Brian huffed but Justin and Debbie both looked at him expectantly. "Fine. I'm just not looking forward to explaining all this to Mikey."

"What's to explain?" Debbie asked. "It's not his business."

"You tell him that," Brian muttered.

"I will," Debbie said with a nod. "Listen to me. I know my son. I know he had some warped dream that someday maybe you might get around to collaring him. But you and I both know that would have been a huge mistake. Michael may have some submissive tendencies, but he's a beta at heart. He would never have been happy trying to live life as a sub. He'll figure that out for himself in time."

"That doesn't mean that he's going to take this news well," Brian said.

"No it doesn't," Debbie said. "But that's his problem, not yours. You leave Michael to me. I'll get him straightened out. As for that pride thing I know that's eating at you, you don't have to explain your choices to anyone. You've always done what you wanted and to hell with what others thought about it. Well, that hasn't changed, has it? No? Then suck it up and ignore how the others will react to the news that you changed your mind about collaring Justin. It was the right thing to do. For both of you."

"It was," Brian agreed with more confidence than he had felt just minutes earlier. "Thanks Deb."

"You're welcome," Debbie said with a smile. "Now, when are you going to go show Sunshine's mother his new collar?"

Brian groaned. "Thanksgiving is next week. I'm sure it can wait until then, right?"

Justin shook his head. "I don't think so. She'll stop by at some point between now and then."

Brian huffed again. "Fine, Princess, you set something up and I'll be there. Okay?"

Justin beamed. "I'll ask her to come over tomorrow after work."

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

The meeting with Jennifer went better than Brian could have hoped. She congratulated them and kissed his cheek, whispering her gratitude for Brian putting Justin's security above his own preferences. Then Brian was summarily dismissed while the mother and son talked about their trip to New York and about a dozen other things that Brian had no interest in. He spent the rest of the evening working.

That Friday, Brian was set to once again face letting others know about their new status. He picked out an outfit for Justin and then began to get ready himself for a night at Babylon. When Brian returned from his shower, Justin was wearing the new black leather pants that Brian had bought for him in New York. They rode very low on his hips and clung to the blond's ass like a glove. Brian smirked in approval. Justin was also wearing the new boots and the mesh top Brian had selected. They all worked together to show off Justin's body, his flawless skin and his new collar. The only thing Brian thought was missing was a nipple ring, or two, peaking through the sheer black fabric. Hmm. He'd have to think about that some more.

Brian wore black jeans, a black silk t-shirt and his favorite black leather duster coat. Once they were both dressed, he clipped Justin's leash to his collar and led him over to the full length mirror to see the picture they made. It was hot. He grabbed Justin's winter jacket and tossed it to him before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

Twenty minutes later, they entered Babylon. IT was much like Brian had expected it to be. Many of the regulars stopped dead in their tracks to watch as Brian Kinney, stud of Liberty Avenue, showed off his newly collared sub. Even some people on the dance floor stopped to get a good look. Brian ignored them and was proud of the way that Justin did so as well. They walked calmly over to the bar and Brian ordered a double scotch. He sipped first and then held the glass for Justin to drink. This wasn't the first time Brian had shared his drink with Justin in public, but it was the first time that he had done so with Justin in a collar, which seemed to make it more interesting to the gawkers around them.

"Let's dance," Brian said once the drink was gone. Justin smiled and allowed himself to be led to the dance floor by his leash. They moved together in their usual sensual way, but now Brian kept firm hold of Justin's leash and used it to lead him in the dance. They drew more attention to themselves, but with the music and the throbbing baseline coursing through them both, it was easier to ignore the gazes on them.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Mikey shouted over the music almost an hour later, interrupting their communion with the music. Many dancers around them stopped to watch the drama that was about to unfold.

"We were dancing," Brian smirked. "If you'd move along, we could get back to it."

"Brian!" Michael hissed.

Brian rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. But let's go get a drink." Justin smiled as Michael stomped off the dance floor towards the bar. The other man was so predictable. Brian led Justin back and ordered Justin water and a scotch for himself. "So, Mikey, what was so important that it couldn't wait until we were finished dancing?"

"What was so important?" Michael sputtered. "I walk in here to hear the whispers that Brian Kinney has collared a sub. Then I find you dancing with HIM on a leash. Brian! What were you thinking? How could you do a thing like that? And not tell me!"

Brian shook his head and let Justin drink some of the water. "Why should I need to tell you? My relationship with Justin is not your business."

"Of course it's my business!" Mikey argued. "You're my best friend. I have a right to be concerned when you do something so completely out of character! Why? Just tell me that. Why did you collar him?"

"Because he's mine," Brian said with a scowl. "And I protect what is mine."

Mikey snorted in disbelief. "He's done something to you. Made you forget who you are, what you are. You have to get rid of him."

Brian was boiling with anger at this point, and Justin wanted to step away from the inevitable explosion, but he was tethered to Brian and had no place to go.

"Justin has not done anything to me," Brian said through clenched teeth. "And I resent the implication that I'm so weak willed that I would allow a sub to dictate my actions."

"I didn't mean it like that," Mikey said. "But you have been saying that you would never collar anyone for as long as I've known you! You meet this twink and two months later, everything has changed. Fifteen years I've known you, and in all that time, you always said that you wouldn't collar anyone under any circumstances. SO what has changed, if it isn't the sub?"

"The sub has a name," Brian almost shouted. "His name is Justin. And the difference is that I'm growing up and taking responsibility for once in my life. Maybe you should try it!"

Mikey looked like Brian had slapped him. "I don't want responsibility. I just want…"

"You want me to take care of you for the rest of our lives," Brian finished for him. "But that's not going to happen. Mikey, you aren't a sub. You would never be happy with me."

"I would!" Mikey said. "And I could make you happy, too!"

"No you couldn't," Brian said quietly. He was suddenly very tired. "Go home Mikey. Think about who you are and what you really want. It certainly isn't taking orders from an alpha fro the rest of your life. And even if it is, it won't ever be me." Brian turned away and began to walk towards the door, but He had only gone a few feet when Justin's leash pulled taut. He turned back to find Mikey had Justin up against the wall, his hands around his neck and choking the young sub.

"This is all your fault!" Mikey screeched. "This should have been mine!"

Mikey grabbed at Justin's collar and twisted it as Brian rushed back to help. Several things seemed to happen at once. Justin's collar broke and Mikey lost his balance. Then Justin punched Mikey in the face and kneed him in the groin. Brian watched as his best friend hit the ground with a groan and Justin knelt on his chest while he grabbed his collar back.

"That's mine, you mother fucker!" Justin hissed. Then he stood and turned to Brian. "Can we go now, sir?"

Brian almost laughed out loud. Instead he smirked at his sub and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I have to make sure you didn't hurt him too badly. Let me find someone to take him to Debbie's and we'll go."

Justin nodded and then turned his attention back to the man cowering on the floor. He glowered at Michael and the other man wisely stayed right where he was. Five minutes later, Brian returned with Ted and Emmett in tow and let them take Mikey away.


	11. Chapter 11

Justin shifted uncomfortably on the bench he was tied to and wondered if he had finally bitten off more than he could chew. Brian had said that his kinks were a bit more advanced than the little things they had tried so far, but Justin had insisted that he could handle whatever Brian could dish out. Now he wasn't quite so confident.

Justin had thoroughly enjoyed everything they had tried so far. In fact, his cock would swell just from the memories of those encounters. And they had continued finding dangerous places to have sex, places where they could easily be discovered. Justin's favorite place was the bathroom at the Liberty Diner. Brian liked to pull him in there when the restaurant was crowded with customers and make him keep quiet while Brian fucked him hard up against the door. The customers would be innocently eating just inches from where Justin was getting his ass plowed by his insatiable alpha. They both had to struggle to remain completely silent, adding to the heat of those encounters.

It had taken Justin quite a bit of time to convince Brian that he wanted to try whatever fantasy Brian had in mind. In fact, Thanksgiving had come and gone and Christmas was now almost upon them. Brian still dominated Justin both in and out of the bedroom and the younger man found he rather enjoyed having his older lover telling him what to do. Brian had even dictated what Justin could buy for his mother and sister for Christmas. But Brian's heart wasn't really in it, even as he ordered Justin's life.

Brian finished tying the last knot and looked down at Justin. The young man was covered from head to toe with an intricate lacework of knots made with a rough twine that must irritate his sensitive skin unbelievably. It had taken Brian an hour to get the knots in just the right pattern, creating both a functional and aesthetically pleasing design. The black of the dyed twine against Justin's fair skin was exquisite.

Justin's arms were laced together behind his back from just above the elbows to his wrists and then tied to the bench, completely immobilizing Justin from the waist up. Justin's legs were covered in the lacy knots, tying his thighs to the legs of the short bench. The bench ended just below Justin's waist and left his lower half open for Brian's use. His cock and balls were bound as well; the twine acted as an effective cock ring, preventing Justin from coming any time soon. The redness of his cock and balls, however, indicated that the knots were painfully tight. Brian checked them again to be sure that they would cause no permanent harm.

Justin's eyes were closed as he endured the torturous amount of time it took to put the ropes in place.

"You are so cocky, my Princess," Brian told him as he ran his fingers lightly over Justin's cinched up ball sac. "I warned you that my tastes may be more than you can handle, but you just had to challenge me. Now you'll see. Is that what you wanted?"

Justin moaned around the ball-gag in response. His whole body was tingling with sensations from both Brian' words and the knots which slowed his circulations just enough to cause constant pins and needles. His cock felt like it was being squeezed by the unforgiving knots around it, and his balls ached so bad he could almost taste the pain. And yet he could feel his cock trying to grow harder with each new sensation that was unleashed.

Brian stood behind Justin and continued to caress his skin through the lacework.

"You wanted to know what depraved fantasies my mind can concoct?" Brian asked and swatted Justin's ass, causing the boy to twitch, which then irritated every place the ropes knotted against him. "I want to see you completely come undone, and then I'll be the one to pick up the pieces and put you back together again. Is that what you want?"

Justin groaned and tried to nod his head. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be fully possessed by Brian. He wanted to be shattered, physically, mentally and spiritually, by this man whom he loved. He trusted that Brian would know how to put the pieces back together.

"Alright," Brian nodded and continued back around to the head of bench and Justin's face. He pulled a small table over into Justin's line of sight and began showing him the items there. "This is ginger root," Brian said as he held up a gnarled looking root that vaguely resembled a human hand. He picked up another piece of the root; this one had been peeled and was about seven inches long, with a narrow tip that widened for about six inches before narrowing sharply and widening again on the last inch. It reminded him of the anal plugs Brian sometimes liked to make him wear.

"Ginger root is a really amazing thing," Brian commented evenly, as if he was giving one of his advertising pitches. When Brian began to walk around behind Justin, the sub began to tremble, uncertain of what was coming next. "It can be a tasty ingredient in food, spicing things up nicely. But for today, I want to take advantage of its other properties. Ginger root, when put under pressure, releases a liquid which can cause a painful burning sensation on sensitive flesh. The longer the flesh is exposed to the liquid, the more acute the sensation."

Brian ran his hand over Justin's ass tenderly and continued to explain, though Justin had a pretty good idea what was coming. "We are going to see how long you can tolerate this ginger root plug." Without another word of warning, Brian was pushing Justin's spreading Justin's ass cheeks apart before slowly working the slippery root into Justin's anus. The burn began almost immediately, as Justin's hole had not been stretched at all prior to their play. Brian had made the plug wide enough to be uncomfortable even without the added burning sensation, and Justin yelped from behind his gag, sucking deep breaths of air through his nose as he tried to mentally block out the prickly pain.

"Very nice," Brian said, squeezing Justin's ass cheeks together with his hands. "I think you're already figuring out just how much fun we are going to have tonight."

Justin's eyes were full of tears, a steady stream flowing down his face, but Brian could not detect any panic. There was just pain and a hint of licentious anticipation. Justin's cock had flagged a bit during the insertion, but it was not completely disinterested. Brian gave a series of pinches to the head and perineum watched the cock fill once again. Justin always enjoyed that particular stimulation.

As Brian used slow tight strokes on Justin's prick, he also began to randomly slap his ass. The ginger released tiny bits of liquid and the sensation of burning pleasure and pain was almost overwhelming. When Brian grabbed the paddle to spank Justin lightly, the burning spread in his ass each time his muscles clenched in response to the pain. It was a beautiful torture that Justin thought was going to slowly kill him or drive him insane. He was trembling and he could not stop the tears from flowing freely down his cheeks.

Brian paused in his tasks to kiss and lick away the tears. "You are so beautiful like this, Justin. You have no idea how much the sight of you, completely at my mercy, the trust you show me, how much all of this turns me on. I'm aching for you. Do you want me, Justin? Do you want my cock inside of you, claiming you, making you my own?"

Justin nodded as vigorously as his binds would allow. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to be fully claimed by Brian. He wanted to belong to this man who could tear him apart so thoroughly and piece him back together with such care and tenderness.

Brian smiled. Not a smirk or a sneer, but a genuine, all too rare, smile. Justin's heart did a somersault.

Brian began the slow and tedious work of removing his carefully placed toy. The ginger anal plug. Justin gave an inner sigh of relief with its removal. There were still vestiges of the burning fluid inside of him, but it was reduced to a fraction of the previous sensation.

Finally, Brian cut away the twine that had been plaguing him for what seemed like hours. He used a very sharp knife, but the possibility that Brian would cut him didn't even cross Justin's mind. Once the twine was gone, Justin stretched his limbs slowly and carefully. The overall effect was one of liberation and sensuality. He wanted Brian to make good on that promise.

Suddenly, Brian was there, catching him from behind in mid stretch. The older man's arms encircled his chest and pulled him forcefully against him. Justin could feel that Brian had shed his clothes in a hurry, because the aching cock he had described before was now pressed between his ass cheeks, tickling and teasing him.

"Oh Christ!" Justin sighed. "You have to fuck me, sir. Right now."

"Oh?" Brian drawled in his ear. "I think you're forgetting who's in charge here." Brian pinched Justin's nipple and squeezed his balls painfully.

"I- I'm sorry," Justin gasped out. "Please, Brian, please. I need you. I want you to claim me. I want you to make me your own. Please."

Justin dropped his head forward onto the bench as he felt Brian' lips and tongue on his neck and shoulders. He used his nose to nudge the collar out of the way and then sucked and bit hard at the spot he had chosen. Justin knew he would bear the evidence of this night for the next several days, and he was glad. He wanted the reminder of this night.

Brian never replied to Justin's plea, but he did position him over the bench with his hands grasping the legs and his knees spread wide on the rug below them. In that arrangement, Brian had maximum access to his already abused hole. With only a slick of lube on Brian' condom covered cock, he was plunging deep into Justin.

Justin let out a shout. As much as he and Brian had fucked, and as large as that plug had been, it was still a rather rough and abrupt entrance. Brian gave no time for Justin to adjust; he was already thrusting hard and deep before Justin had even caught his breath. Brian' hands gripped Justin's hips tight enough to bruise as he pulled the younger man back to meet the powerful plunges.

It did not take long for Brian to feel his orgasm rising in him. He took Justin's cock in hand and tugged at it, using tight strokes and pinches to the head and perineum to drive Justin completely mad with the need to come.

"Come for me Justin," Brian whispered into his ear, the warm breath tickling his skin and driving him over the edge. Justin erupted, shooting his seed over the towel Brian had placed below them earlier and decorating it with pools of white spunk.

Brian felt Justin's release as much as he heard it. Justin's channel clamped around him, milking the orgasm from his body. With only a few more deep strokes, Brian was coming, spilling his seed inside of his amazing young lover.

Long minutes later, they were nestled on the bed together with the duvet pulled over them. Brian held Justin on his lap, while Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Brian finally asked Justin.

"Yeah," Justin sighed sleepily. "Lovely even."

Brian chuckled. "So you liked that, did you?"

"Oh yeah," Justin said. "Well, I'm not sure I want to use ginger or take two hours to get tied up _**all**_ the time, but being helpless and totally at your mercy? Yeah, I like that a lot."

"Why did you push me on this?" Brian asked.

"Because you needed it," Justin said simply. It had been several weeks since the blow up with Mikey and Brian had been a bit withdrawn and aloof during sex in that time.

"I needed it?" Brian asked with a growl as he tightened his hold on Justin until it was almost painful.

"Yes," Justin gasped out. "You needed to remember that I belong to you. You needed to remember that I'm here."

"I never forgot you," Brian denied even as he loosened his hold on Justin.

"No," Justin said with a shrug. "But you haven't really been completely here since that thing with Michael. You've gone through the motions, but you haven't been focused on me since that night."

Brian snorted but he recognized the truth of that statement. "So you gave me what I needed."

"It's what a good sub should do," Justin said timidly.

"Thank you," Brian murmured into Justin's hair.

"You're welcome," Justin said with a grin wide enough to split his face.


	12. Chapter 12

The post-coital discussion with Justin was enough to prompt Brian into action. He'd been sitting back and brooding for too long. It was causing him to suffer and, worse, it was causing Justin to suffer. He needed to confront Mikey face to face.

Debbie had done her part. She had spent time talking to Michael, or shouting at him as the case may be. But she was wrong when she said it wasn't Brian's responsibility. He was the one who had fostered Mikey's submissive side. He knew now that he had done it to fill that part of himself that needed to care for a submissive person. His alpha side went much deeper than he had ever realized before. He had thought that dominating a trick in bed would be enough, but sex was a very small part of what made an alpha an alpha. So Brian had subconsciously used Mikey's neediness to fill in the gap. Now he needed to make things right.

He found Mikey at home, sitting in his living room in dirty sweats and eating a pint of ice cream. "That will make you fat."

Mikey looked up at Brian and frowned. "What are you doing here? I would think you'd be off fucking your pet."

"Did that last night," Brian shrugged. "Twice. And again in the shower this morning. Can we talk?" Mikey shrugged and stared into his pint of ice cream. Brian took that as consent and cleared the old newspapers off of the armchair and sat down. "Mikey. I owe you an apology."

"No one else seems to think you do," Mikey pouted.

"Then they're wrong," Brian said easily. "I'm sorry for letting you believe that there could ever be anything more than friendship between us. I'm sorry for letting you believe that you could be my sub. You're a needy beta, but you _**are**_ a beta."

"I don't feel much like a beta," Mikey pouted.

"On your knees, sub!" Brian shouted suddenly.

Mikey looked up, startled. "What? What the fuck, Brian?"

Brian laughed. "That's what I thought. Mikey, no matter what else was going on, if I had said that to Justin, or any other sub for that matter, his first instinct would be to kneel. He might ask questions after, but his _**gut**_ would tell him to kneel. Even our first night together, when he was so unsure of everything, he responded like a sub. You never have, Mikey. What did your gut tell you just now?"

"That you were being a prick," Mikey muttered.

Brian chuckled. "You see my point?"

"Yeah, I get it," Mikey said. He was quiet again for a while. "Why did you let me keep trying, then? If you've known this all along, why keep me hanging on?"

Brian flushed. "Because I needed you as much as you needed me."

"I don't understand," Mikey said.

"You needed someone who would look out for you," Brian said. "Not as a sub, but emotionally. And I needed you to need me. I was wrong, Mikey. I thought that I could be happy without a sub to care for. I thought I could just fuck a few subs and that would be enough. But it wasn't. I needed to take care of someone."

"So you took care of me," Mikey said.

"Yeah."

They were both silent for a long time while that sunk in. "Now what?"

Brian looked at his friend. "Now we figure out how to be friends without all the other bullshit. And you figure out who you are as a beta and find another beta who wants to be needed."

"And Justin?" Mikey asked quietly.

"He's mine for life Mikey," Brian said. He paused considering if he should explain about the Imprinting, but decided it would just complicate things further. "He's not going anywhere, and I don't want him to."

"You love him?" Mikey asked.

"I…."

Mikey laughed. "I guess some things don't change. Don't worry. I won't make you say it."

Brian scowled for a moment, but then let his irritation fade. "So, are we going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Mikey said. "We're going to be fine. I'm not so sure about Justin though."

"What do you mean," Brian asked.

"I mean, that sub sure hits like an alpha!" Mikey said. "My jaw was swollen for a week!"

"That's my Princess," Brian bragged. "He doesn't take shit from anyone but me!"

**BJBJBJBJBJ**

Brian and Mikey seemed to settle down after that. Mikey began finding ways to accept Justin into Brian's life and Justin and Brian worked hard to get things between them settled. Justin was accepted into PIFA and started college the next fall with a joy that Brian hadn't ever seen in the younger man. He flourished under the teaching and his work seemed to flourish right along with him.

Just as he had predicted, Justin's advanced placement credits went a long way towards helping him graduate early and three years after beginning college, Brian was able to attend his graduation, along with Jennifer, Molly, Debbie, Ted, Emmett Mikey and Mikey's lover Ben.

Once he had gotten it through his head that he wasn't really a sub, Mikey had come into his own and had struck out on his own. He'd quit his job, opened his own comic book store and had met the man of his dreams. Ben was a strong beta, and loved looking out for his timid beta partner. Their relationship had grown stronger over time and Brian wouldn't be surprised to hear that a wedding was in the making.

After graduation, they all went back to the loft to celebrate. Brian had gone over the top, once again, and the place was packed with friends and family. The food was catered and the booze flowed freely. Once the older generation had gone, the music began and the party lasted well into the night.

The next morning, Brian had woken Justin early and hustled his sub through a quick shower and breakfast.

"This isn't like the time you whisked me off to New York, is it?" Justin asked sleepily as he sat in the passenger seat of Brian's car. He had recently replaced the jeep with a classic corvette after some prick had totaled it.

"Not exactly," Brian smirked. "No airplanes this time."

Justin sat up straighter. "But there is a surprise?"

"Isn't there always?" Brian teased.

"You constantly surprise me," Justin admitted. Then he sat back and tried to figure out where they were headed.

Twenty minutes later, as they headed up Mount Washington, he realized he didn't have a clue. "Where are we going, Brian?"

"You finished school, so I thought it was time we had a new start," Brian said cryptically.

Justin began to understand when they pulled up in the small driveway of a huge house with a "sold" sign still on the tiny front lawn. "You bought us a house?"

"I did," Brian said smugly. "And not just any house. Come on, I'll show you."

Brian was right. It wasn't just any house. It was more like a four story mansion. Built on Grandview Avenue overlooking the Monongahela River and Downtown Pittsburgh, the house was a new modern construction with a deck on every level and a rooftop observation deck complete with a hot tub and an area to have cookouts. The back yard was small but had enough room for a lap pool and a small yard. The first level of the house had a three car garage, ensuring they would never have to fight for parking on the crowded Mount Washington streets. It also had a small family room with French doors which led out to the pool deck, a powder room, and a utility room.

The second story of the house was the main living area. The mostly open floor plan showed the living room, kitchen and dining area in a glance. There was also another half bath there, and when Justin looked, he found a small den near the back of the house where Brian could have his office.

The third story was mostly taken up with bedrooms. The master suite took up the entire front of the house and had French doors to let them enjoy the view of the city from their private balcony. The walk in closet was larger than their bedroom at the loft, and the master bath was both huge and luxurious. The rest of that level was taken up by two small guest rooms and a bathroom between them.

The fourth floor, however, was what Justin had always dreamed of. The front of the house was open, with wall to wall windows. Justin could that Brian had already determined that this space would be his studio, because there was a brand new easel set up near the windows. Over head, the skylights let in more of the natural light, making this room the brightest and best of the house. There was a small kitchenette towards the back of the house that could be used when entertaining on the roof deck and a fourth bedroom and bath on that level.

"It's perfect," Justin gushed as he walked over to see the view from where his easel was set.

"You haven't even seen the roof deck yet," Brian said.

"Don't have to," Justin said smugly. "You would never settle for anything less than perfect. And this is perfect." He walked back over to Brian and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Brian smirked. "Okay, lets take a quick look upstairs and then I want to show you one more thing before we meet with the decorator."

Justin loved the built in gas grill and the hot tub. He could imagine having their friends over for parties, or having late night parties for two up there. Then he followed Brian back down to the first level.

"The garage?" Justin asked as Brian opened the door he had skipped before.

"Yeah," Brian said as he ushered Justin through. Justin stopped right inside the door. There was a luxury SUV parked in the middle space. "You need a way to get around town. Something to carry your huge canvases in, now that I have the corvette. You can't exactly haul them on the bus or carry them on the incline."

Justin laughed. "Jesus Brian. A house and now… Can we afford all this?"

Brian smirked. He had followed Justin's advice and had struck out on his own not long after Justin had started college. Now, two and a half years later, Kinnetik was thriving. "The business is doing better than anyone could have predicted, and I've invested wisely over the years. We can afford this."

Justin leaned up and gave Brian a lingering kiss. Even after almost four years together, Brian still marveled at the fact that he never got tired of Justin's kisses. Or his body. Or, even more unbelievably, of his company.

"I don't think we have time for more of this before the decorator arrives," Brian said as he reluctantly pushed Justin away. "Behave yourself for a couple hours and we can christen this house after she goes."

"Mmm," Justin hummed as he pictured just how they would christen their new house. "Think we could turn one of those extra rooms into a play room? We could have a swing and a paddling bench and display all of our favorite toys…."

Brian laughed. "That is one possibility. I was thinking more along the lines of a workout room."

Justin frowned but then brightened. "There are three rooms. We don't really need more than one guest room. Who ever comes to visit us anyway? Everyone we know lives here in town."

"You have a point," Brian conceded and leaned in to steal more kisses, his fingers tracing over the collar around Justin's neck. When the doorbell rang a while later, neither man heard it.

**The End**


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